


All The Best Laid Plans

by Hodgeheg002



Series: All The Best [2]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Violence, this is not a very light and fluffy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hodgeheg002/pseuds/Hodgeheg002
Summary: Penelope and Gordon were happy, having finally laid the ghosts from the Grove affair to rest. Unfortunately, things don't always go to plan, especially when old friends come back to visit.Sequel to All The Best Intentions.
Relationships: Alan Tracy/Brandon Berrenger, Penelope Creighton-Ward/Gordon Tracy, Virgil Tracy/The Mechanic
Series: All The Best [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876195
Comments: 58
Kudos: 39





	1. Prologue

April 2065

The court was hot and stuffy, packed with journalists and lawyers, and Penelope wanted to get out of there. She hadn’t really wanted to go in the first place, would have been happy with simply submitting written evidence, but it had been decided- demanded, even- that she be physically present in order to be subjected to cross-examination. She felt drained, physically and emotionally, as the defence barrister tried again and again to lay waste to what had happened.

Intellectually, Penelope knew that it was an important process. The access to a fair trial had long been held as an important cornerstone of democracy and that everyone- including Grove- deserved a chance of representation and defence. It would do no good to abandon those principles now because Penelope didn’t want to be in court, but the fact remained that she didn’t want to be there. The trial had already dragged on for weeks, the case against Grove being extensive and complex, and Penelope had been kept on tenterhooks whilst she waited to be called forward to give her evidence.

She glanced out across the courtroom, cataloguing the unfamiliar faces to investigate later if needed. Her eyes landed briefly on the dock, but she didn’t linger there, sweeping over the glare that was being levelled at her by Grove, who had managed to swap the black and white stripes of Parkmoor Scrubs for a sharp navy suit and muted tie, looking altogether too similar to the first time Penelope had met him almost a year ago. Finally, her eyes landed on Gordon, kind loving Gordon, who had taken an indefinite leave of absence to be with Penelope until she was no longer required by the judicial process. He smiled encouragingly at her, straightening his own ridiculous tie that he had sneaked into the courtroom especially to cheer her up, and Penelope couldn’t help but smile slightly back.

“Lady Penelope?” prompted the defence barrister, causing Penelope to tear her gaze away from Gordon.

“I’m so sorry, could you repeat the question?”

***

Penelope was out of the stand as soon as the judge agreed to a recess, fixated on getting outside of the courtroom and recycled air as quickly as possible. She finally made it, running a gauntlet of stressed witnesses, gallery members and lawyers issuing directives down their phones until she made it to a quiet spot at the edge of the building. The London traffic rumbled past her, but Penelope was able to drown it out as she closed her eyes and leant against the rough grey stone, the drizzle welcome after the stuffiness of the courtroom. The cross-examination had her feeling chewed up and spat out, and the excruciating process had not yet been completed; Parker had also been called as a witness for the prosecution and naturally Penelope would stay until the court had finished with him as well. 

Something cold bumped her elbow and she opened her eyes to see Gordon standing there, offering her a carton of water. She took it gratefully, moving off the rough patch of wall and tucking herself against Gordon. Gordon pulled her close, dropping a kiss to her temple and taking her hand.

“That was awful,” she finally said, her words almost swallowed up by the bustle of the busy square around them.

“I know,” Gordon murmured, fingers playing with the ring on Penelope’s left finger. “It’s nearly over though. Soon they’ll find Grove guilty and lock him away, and we can go back to our lives.”

“You really think they’re going to find him guilty? That barrister in there was good, even I was doubting myself.”

“Of course they are. Grove’s attorney might be good, but so is ours.”

“Barrister, darling, we’re in England.” Gordon rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep the relief of seeing Penelope acting her usual self from creeping into his expression.

“C’mon, ‘darling’, we have to go back in now.” Penelope sighed, but allowed herself to be tugged back into the building to sit through further submissions.

***

Gordon kept Penelope close as they navigated their way from the front of the courthouse to where Parker was waiting for them with FAB1, dodging the flashes of the paparazzi. Penelope clung to Gordon, gripping his hand tightly, and Parker sprang out of FAB1 to open the door for them. Penelope slid into her seat and moments later they were pulling away from the scrum that had formed on the steps.

“Okay?” Gordon asked quietly.

“He got ten years,” Penelope replied, expression inscrutable.

“He was guilty.”

“Ten years seems like such a long time, yet nothing at all.”

“Pen-” Gordon began, frowning, but Penelope cut him off.

“It’s okay, Gordon. I’m just being morbid. He’s where he belongs, and now we can move forward.”

“...if you say so.”

“I do. When do you have to go back to the Island?”

“Not until tomorrow evening, barring any emergencies. Our kind of emergencies, not like, ‘regular’ emergencies or anything. Um. Super emergencies?”

“Unlikely, though.”

“Yeah, unlikely.”

“Excellent. Let’s go out for dinner, then, we have wedding details to discuss.” Penelope settled into her seat, more sure of the future than she had been when the verdict had been read out. Gordon managed to suppress a groan- party planning was not his forte- as Parker silently adjusted course to their regular restaurant.

***

Grove examined his new cell with displeasure, eyes flicking over the details. There wasn’t much; a bed, sink and toilet seemed to be the entire consistency of his new home. He didn't even have a cellmate, having been deemed too high a risk for general population after instigating fights whilst on remand. Back then, he hadn’t considered the possibility that he would be returning to the prison, that the barrister who had charged exorbitant fees would fail in the simple task of persuading the jury of his innocence or, at the very least, convincing the judge to show leniency. There had been mutterings of appeal when the barrister had visited Grove in the holding cells before he was whisked back to Parkmoor Scrubs, but Grove knew that it would be ultimately futile and a waste of his now limited resources. Grove snarled; the Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward had no need for the compensation that had been awarded to her. If it wasn’t for her, or her insipid fiancé, then Grove wouldn’t even be in this position, stripped of his assets, facing a substantial custodial sentence and on the brink of financial disaster after all the work he had done to build his empire. It wasn’t fair, and Grove hated Penelope Creighton-Ward and Gordon Tracy for orchestrating his downfall.

There was a sudden, metallic tapping sound that rang throughout the cell, tearing Grove from his musings. Grove moved around the cell, trying to locate the source of the noise, before isolating it to an air vent near to the bed.

“Who’s there?” he called, curiosity overriding any potential self-consciousness.

“Jeremy Grove?” came the tinny reply.

“How do you know my name?”

“Unimportant.”

“What do you want?”

“I have a proposition for you, based on a mutual enemy. I understand you are familiar with the Tracy family?”

“Unfortunately,” Grove hissed, bearing his teeth.

“Then I believe we may be of assistance to each other. Let me offer you a partnership, of sorts. You are a businessman, after all.”

“Who are you?” Grove asked again.

“A friend, Mr Grove, but most people call me the Hood.”


	2. Chapter One

**November 2075**

Gordon flopped onto the bed face first with a groan, hair still damp from the shower he had taken when Thunderbird Two had finally landed following a mudslide in South America. He lay there for a moment, focusing on different aches and pains in his muscles, before turning his head to the side so that he could see Penelope. Penelope had her compact open, frowning at whatever it was she was reading, and Gordon tapped her wrist lightly.

“Pen? Honey? Everything okay?”

Penelope startled, before smiling briefly at Gordon and snapping her compact shut. “There was just a strange message, but I’ve forwarded it to Kayo and the GDF, nothing to worry about.”

“Penny…” Gordon said slowly, sitting up and wincing as more bruises made themselves known. Penelope sighed.

“It was about Grove. But he’s locked away in Parkmoor Scrubs, so there’s honestly nothing to worry about.”

“But Pen-”

“Seriously, Gordon. It’s fine. This is not the first time that something like this has happened, and it probably won’t be the last, but there’s nothing to worry about. The GDF are aware and will keep an eye on him. If anything more serious happens, then we’ll deal with it then.”

“Okay…” Gordon replied, unconvinced. Penelope leaned forward and kissed him.

“Please don’t worry about this. I promise, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” Gordon repeated, but this time he was a lot more settled.

“Tell me about the rescue. We were watching it on the holoprojector, Lucas was very excited to see you on the tv.”

“Lucas is four, he gets excited about most things.”

“Probably a side effect of spending so much time with Alan.”

“Only Alan? Not his dear old dad? I’m wounded.”

“You’re right, you and Lucas are two peas in a pod. But you’re drifting away from the question, dear.”

“Oh yeah, the mission. It was muddy, like really muddy. We kept slipping and I did something to my back again. Virgil was not happy.”

“Let me look?”

“If you want.” Gordon pulled his tee shirt off and scooted forwards over the bed so that Penelope could see. She ran her hands feather light over his back, finding the tension spots before kneading away the strain. Gordon's head dropped forward in relief.

“Better?”

“So much.”

Penelope smirked, hands slowly wandering around his sides to his chest and stomach. Gordon twisted around so he could face her, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“And now?” Penelope asked, trying to keep her expression neutral and not quite succeeding.

“Hmm. I might just have to show you to explain,” Gordon murmured, matching Penelope’s smirk. His lips were on hers before she could reply, the kiss long and lingering, leaving Penelope breathless. Gordon’s fingers danced across her torso, dipping underneath the hem of her nightshirt and causing Penelope’s breath to hitch whilst Gordon peppered kisses over her cheeks, jaw and forehead. Penelope pulled him back in for another kiss, which quickly grew more heated and urgent, their hands roaming over each other. Clothes were shed, bodies moved, and all thoughts of Grove were quickly forgotten.

***

Parkmoor Scrubs had originally been built in the late 2030s, designed to hold the terrorists that cropped up in the lead up to the Global Conflict of the early 2040s. When the fighting had ended and the various States involved had retreated to lick their wounds, the fledgling Global Defence Force- which had replaced the UN Peacekeeping Operation shortly after the war to provide a global force with greater legitimacy and authority- had taken over Parkmoor Scrubs and similar institutions worldwide. As the power of the GDF grew, absorbing many of the otherwise redundant organisations and agencies that had formed the UN, these institutions had become places where global criminals and terrorists could be held without having to be the responsibility of one particular State.

These institutions had been modelled on the Haaglanden Penal Institution in The Hague, which had been the original detention centre for the International Criminal Court. The Court still technically existed, but much like the UN it soon got taken over by the GDF to form one cohesive approach to international law enforcement and human rights protection. There had been critics- loud ones- that rebelled against the concept of a superstructure that was fundamentally rooted in military forming judge, jury and executioner, but nonetheless it had proved to be more effective and efficient than the split organisations of its predecessors, and fifteen years later the judicial limb of the GDF was still going strong, providing facilities to house the criminals that the GDF investigated, caught and successfully tried.

There had been a few particularly notable figures who had been held in one of the GDF facilities; perhaps the most infamous being Trangh Belagant, more commonly known as The Hood. His crimes were extensive, including theft, terrorism and attempted murder. There had been significant concern about holding him at Parkmoor Scrubs. Although designed to be one of the most secure structures in the world, with its hexagonal rings and a central isolated cell specifically for holding prisoners like the Hood, past experience demonstrated that the prison was far from escape-proof. However, it was still the most secure facility at the GDF’s disposal, and it was hoped that with careful isolation and a greater understanding of the technology that the Hood had used- aided by the Hood’s loss of control over the Mechanic- that this time, the Hood would stay in the prison. To the GDF’s credit, this proved true, at least for the first few years, and it was considered safe enough to move him into a slightly less segregated isolation unit. Instead of being housed in the epicentre of the complex, he had now been promoted to the solitary cells of the innermost ring.

Unfortunately for the GDF, this put the Hood directly next to Jeremy Grove.

Grove had been arrested, charged and convicted of false imprisonment, assault causing actual bodily harm, and crucially conspiracy to sell and trade weapons contrary to the Disarmament Treaty of 2045 which prohibited the international sale of arms to private individuals, yet another consequence of the Global Conflict. Grove had been one of the few manufacturers to ignore this treaty and continue to sell to the war lords and terror cells that still existed, caught in the heady pursuit of money and profit. As far as Grove was concerned, he was partaking in the simplest economic principle that was supply and demand, and things such as humanitarian treaties and ethics were inconsequential.

One of the other key results of the aftermath of the Global Conflict had been the redesign of the newly acquired prisons, with the GDF keen to put their own stamp and use their own technology to ensure that these structure became impenetrable, with businesses like Mr Grove’s providing the blueprints for such transformations. In fact, one of Grove’s first breakthrough contracts had been the security design of Parkmoor Scrubs, giving him the foundational ideas and corrupt contacts to build his later illegal empire. As a result, despite further advancements in the technology of the security of the prison, the fundamental layout and design of the place remained the same, and Grove had knowledge of the weak points of the prison.

It was this knowledge that made Grove’s assistance appealing to the Hood. It was the miscalculation of the GDF personnel in charge of Parkmoor Scrubs that resulted in the two of them hatching an elaborate escape plan, after months and years of discussion, planning and preparation.

It was also this miscalculation that would lead to the near death of Lord Hugh Creighton-Ward.

***

The journey north from Parkmoor Scrubs to the safe house that was to form their base for the execution of the plan was made in silence. Grove supposed that he should probably be feeling apprehension, or exhilaration, from having escaped one of the world’s most notorious prisons with the world’s most notorious villain, but apart from a brief rush of adrenaline that fuelled him until he was outside of the prison’s walls, Grove was numb to any emotion except the well of contempt for the two people he was about to destroy.

Grove did not need to glance to his left to know that his companion was in the same state of contemplation. Grove did not really know much about the Hood; the man was extremely private about personal details, to the extent that even his real name was not common knowledge. Grove didn’t even truly understand the man’s hatred for the Tracy family, other than it was related to his being in Parkmoor Scrubs in the first place, and extended to the entire family rather than specific members. This did not bother Grove. To target one member was to target them all, and the knowledge that Lady Penelope was as entangled in International Rescue as she was with Gordon Tracy simply meant that the Hood’s goal was now Grove’s.

The car pulled to a stop in a dark alleyway, but neither Gove nor the Hood made any movement to step out. Instead, the doors to the front of the car opened and two figures climbed in, the female disengaging the remote driving and taking over the wheel herself. The whole process took minutes, completed in silence, and Grove remained resolutely disinterested in who the new occupants were. The car pulled away, the new drive accelerating as they drove out of the city and into the countryside, and once there were dark fields sliding by the Hood finally broke the silence he had commandeered until that point.

“Were you discrete?”

“Course we were,” the driver replied, a sly grin curving her lips. “Wiped all the footage from the prison to where we’re going. They won’t even notice you’re gone until morning, by which time there’ll be no trace of you.”

“Excellent. Your ability to follow directions seems to have improved over the years.”

“Thanks boss,” she replied, and silence fell once again.

***

It was past midnight when the car finally pulled into the drive of the abandoned house in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors. The car’s occupants moved swiftly, Grove and the Hood heading straight inside whilst the driver picked up equipment bags from the boot of the car, her companion charged with ensuring that the perimeter was secure. Of the four of them, he looked the most uneasy. He had never been wholly comfortable with the directions his sister had pulled him in, and their brief stint in separate prisons had given him the space to ponder the life advice he had been given moments before his arrest. He was by no means proud of his past actions the way his sister was, and it seemed that the logical solution would be to walk away and follow a path that was on the legal side of life, but that would have meant abandoning his sister completely, and the bond between them had proven too strong to break.

Still. That didn’t mean he was by any means comfortable with their current involvement. If it had been up to him, then the Fuse and Havoc personas would have been set aside and they would have gone back to being Clarence and Amy, rather than being roped back into the Hood’s sphere of influence, forced to take part in yet another hair-brained scheme against people who Clarence bore no ill.

The bags were soon ferried inside and the site was deemed to be sufficiently secure against the eyes of the hose who would most likely come after the four of them, and Clarence- Fuse, now that he was once again part of the team no matter how reluctant- found himself sat at a rough wooden table. Grove and the Hood were sitting at each end of the rectangle so that there was no question as to where the balance of power lay. A slightly chipped teapot with four mismatching mugs had inexplicably been placed in the centre of the table, and Fuse wondered briefly as to who had put it there, considering that out of the four of them, Fuse was the most likely to display gestures of domesticity, and the provision of tea had not been his doing.

He was pulled out of this particular train of thought when the Hood sat up impossibly more straight, managing to draw the attention of the room to him rather than the continuation of their own contemplations.

“How has the infiltration progressed? All of this effort will have gone to waste if we aren’t able to execute the first part of the plan soon.”

“Infiltration is almost complete,” Havoc replied, face pulling into a cruel smile. “We will go into the house tomorrow. The old guy won’t know what hit ‘im,” she promised, smacking a fist into her palm, eyes glittering at the prospect of harm.

“I don’t want any mistakes, this time. The operation requires the utmost discretion, something that has never been one of your strong points. I hope I don’t have to spell out to you what the consequences of failure will look like. There is no room for idiocy.” The Hood’s tone was menacing, the threat of violence heavy and implicit, and Havoc shrank back under its weight.

“No boss,” she conceded. The Hood was silent for a moment, letting the message sink in, before continuing.

“Remember, the aim is not to kill the man, but rather to draw his daughter out to us. Realistically, that should take no longer than a few weeks, but we will need patience. Recklessness has no place in the plan, but if it goes as it should International Rescue will be brought to a halt.”

Grove reached forward to take one of the mugs, his movements fluid and graceful. He ignored the attention that the movement had drawn, pouring a stream of tea from the pot into the cup, before withdrawing a small vial of white powder from his jacket pocket.

“This powder contains thallium. It is extremely toxic in large doses, or prolonged exposure to small doses. Whilst this particular powder contains various other chemicals that dilute the effect, it will still cause extreme discomfort and ultimately death if enough is ingested, over a long enough period of time. This is what you will be giving Lord Creighton-Ward.”

He set it on the table and Havoc scooted closer, examining the vial without picking it up.

“Where did you get it from?” she asked.

“A source. That is unimportant. Will you have access to the kitchen tomorrow?”

“Yeah, and Fuse’ll be in the garden.”

“Good. You’ll need to add this much to his tea, either morning or night, I don’t care which.” Grove took out a tiny spatula, opening the vial, scooping an infinitesimal amount and dumping it in the tea. “Any more will kill him too quickly and the plan will be inoperable. Understood?”

“Crystal clear.”

Grove set the vial on the table and Havoc immediately reached over to snatch it up. She and Fuse left the table, Grove and the Hood having evidently dismissed them by the way they turned silently to the electronics by their side. As they meandered their way through the house, a hot twist of guilt curled in the pit of Fuse’s stomach. They made their way to separate rooms, Fuse bidding Havoc goodnight on autopilot, and he locked the door. It was too late to back out of the plan completely, to go back to a quiet life of banality that he desperately wanted, but just because he couldn’t escape didn’t mean that he couldn’t sabotage. He would have to be careful- Fuse didn’t fancy his chances against Havoc, Grove and the Hood combined- but he could still do something and hopefully alert the GDF’s attention to where the missing criminals might be.

Fuse pulled out his phone, one he had managed to configure around the jamming devices that had been set up to secure the immediate area, and began his message to Lady Penelope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the thing about the names. I went with the 2004 movie for the Hood's name, because according to the thunderbirds wiki there isn't a mention really of what his original name is, he's mostly just referred to as the Hood. As for Havoc, I named her after the voice actress and it sort of fit for me.
> 
> This has been my favourite chapter to write so far, I really hope you enjoyed it :)


	3. Chapter Two

_ “And our top story tonight, two maximum security prisoners have managed to escape Parkmoor Scrubs in England last night. The GDF have asked for the public to remain vigilant, and if seen not to approach the convicts but instead to call your local police or the specialised number at the bottom of the screen. Mr Grove was convicted of arms trading and false imprisonment in 2065, whilst the Hood had been linked to a number of terror offences worldwide, including the disappearance of Jeff Tract, founder and former CEO of both Tracy Industries and International Rescue, in 2055. The public are reminded not to approach these two dangerous individuals if seen, but instead to contact you local law enforcement.” _

The newscast ended and John’s hologram reappeared in the centre of the den, arms crossed and face stoney as he surveyed the almost full lounge. Tracy Island was almost full for once, with nearly everyone being at the villa at the same time instead of being dispersed around the world on missions or living their own private lives. Scott was still in his long distance relationship with Esme, visiting her during lulls between work and missions. There had been an offer for her to live full time at the island, or for Scott to have a more part time role that would allow for him to have a more regular work pattern that would allow the couple to have more stability, but this had been quietly rejected by the both of them. They both enjoyed their work too much to consider a reduction in their roles, and although it was unconventional, their casual approach to the relationship had allowed them to be able to sustain it during times of great stress in both of their lives.

Gordon didn’t really understand their relationship, and he certainly didn’t understand Virgil’s, which seemed to exist in a perpetual on and off cycle that could always be discerned by measuring how much time Virgil was spending on working on Thunderbird Two, but Gordon did understand Alan and Brandon. He was still slightly unsure about Brandon, but he and Alan made each other happy, fulfilling the thrill-seeking tendencies that each of them seemed to have, and Lucas adored the two of them, often following them around the villa for hours when Brandon came to stay.

It was Brandon who was calming Alan down now, squeezing Alan’s hand in reassurance. The news of the Hood’s and Grove’s escape the night before had not been received well, made all the worse by the request from the GDF that International Rescue cease operations until the criminals could be reincarcerated, with John being the bearer of bad news and resorting to playing the worldwide broadcast to get the message to sink in.

  
  


Alan was the only one to vocalise this displeasure, Jeff and Scott uncharacteristically quiet as they considered the options and implications on the world, organisation and fundamentally family. Gordon didn’t interrupt them, or try to make a guess as to what they would ultimately decide. As far as he was concerned, he, Penelope and Lucas would not be leaving the Island unless absolutely necessary. He was not overly happy with the idea of confining himself to the Island, particularly if his brothers were still going on rescues, but it was likely that Penelope would be rightfully angry if he went off Island whilst expecting her to stay. But Grove was already targeting them, sending Penelope cryptic messages, and Gordon was not about to risk his family no matter how frustrating Island confinement could be. He had no doubt that ordinarily, Penelope would be able to take care of herself, but the protective streak that ran through each of the Tracy brothers was strong at the best of times, but especially so when Penelope was almost seven months pregnant and a ruthless criminal with a grudge was loose in the world and targeting her.

“I think, for now, we should listen to the GDF,” said Jeff eventually, breaking the silence. “I understand that this will be disappointing for you all, but sometimes the safety of the family has to come first.”

“But Dad-”

“I agree.” Gordon was quiet as he interrupted Alan, attracting confused looks from the rest of the family who had not been expecting him to agree so quickly, but Gordon’s eyes remained trained on Jeff, who gave him a tiny, knowing smile that was tinged with sadness. Gordon’s confidence in his decision bolstered, he continued his explanation. “It’s not safe for us to be going out and about in these circumstances. I’m sorry, truly, for what will mean for the world, but we’ll be in an impossibly worse situation if something does happen.”

“You can’t mean that!” Alan exclaimed, rising to his feet and knocking off Brandon’s hand on his shoulder. 

“I do. I’m sorry Alan, but it’s too dangerous.”

“Are you kidding me? We’ve gone against the Hood before! We didn’t stop when it was the Mechanic or the Chaos Crew, why should we stop now?”

“Yeah we didn’t stop then, but the Chaos Crew almost killed me. Grove is more dangerous, he’s more clever than they were and has more of a grudge than the Mechanic. The fact that he and the Hood have teamed up is terrifying, Alan, and I don’t know about you but I’ve got more to lose this time around than back then!” Gordon retorted, temper fraying. Alan opened his mouth to argue back, but Jeff quickly interceded to prevent more rowing.

“Alan, Gordon, that’s enough. We can pause temporarily- temporarily, Alan, not forever- until the GDF assures us that it’s safe enough.”

“Kayo is already in talks with Rigby and the higher ups in the GDF, it shouldn’t be too long,” John supplied, and Jeff nodded approvingly. Alan was not convinced.

  
“Scott, Virgil, you think this is crazy too right?”

“Well, actually Alan, I think Dad’s right. We can’t be effective on rescues if we’re constantly checking over our shoulders.”

“I’m with Scott,” Virgil said, and Alan gaped at them.

“Unbelievable.” With that, he spun on his heel and stalked out of the room. Virgil rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, the way he always did after confrontations.

“That could have gone better,” he admitted. Gordon shrugged, unapologetic.

“I don’t really care about his temper tantrum, If this is what needs doing, then he’ll just have to cope with it. He can get his thrills elsewhere, I’m not risking Penelope and the kids.”

“Alright, let it rest Gordon,” Jeff warned, aware of Gordon’s acidic tongue when stressed or cornered. Brandon shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m gonna check he’s okay,” he said, rising to his feet. Scott grinned.

“He’ll be in the test room, most likely.”

“Thanks,” Brandon replied, flashing him a smile and disappearing.

“I’m going now too,” John added. “I need to let the GDF know we’re taking them up on their offer of downtime, and divert the calls to them.” He sounded particularly unenthused at the prospect, never happy when he had to divert calls.

“I’ll help,” Scott announced, moving over to the desk where Jeff was already seated. Jeff looked over at John, who was still grimacing.

“You should probably come down after we’ve transferred the calls, John, who knows what tricks the two of them will cook up and you could be in the firing line.”

“I guess,” John sighed. The hologram disappeared, and Scott and Jeff resettled at the desk. Virgil looked over at Gordon.

“Guess you gotta tell Penny. Where is she, anyway?”

“On a call. Ugh, she’s not going to be happy about this.”

“Not happy about what?” asked Penelope, who had just entered the room. She made her way down into the pit and settled herself daintily into a seat next to Gordon. “What’s going on?”

“The Hood and Grove have escaped,” Virgil said bluntly, ignoring the glare Gordon shot him. Penelope shrugged.

“I know, it’s been all over the news. What about it?”

“Pen, honey, the GDF have asked us to cease all operations, until they can be sure we’re not going to be targeted. They don’t want us leaving the Island.”

“...Okay. And you already agreed to this?”

“Of course. I know it’ll be frustrating, not being able to go places, but it’s not forever and if it’s something that will keep you and Lucas and the baby safe, then of course I agreed to it.”   
  


“I’m not disputing your motives, Gordon, I’m just surprised that you made this decision on my behalf, without discussing it with me first.”

“Pen-”

“No, Gordon. This was not something you can just decide unilaterally.” She stood up again, climbing up the steps and out of the pit. Gordon rose to go after her, but Penelope stopped him. “ Do not follow me, Gordon, not right now.”

She left as quickly as she had come in, and Virgil placed a hand on Gordon’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, she’ll come around.”

“I know,” Gordon huffed. “I better go find Lucas, he’ll be causing chaos if left alone for too long.”

“Hey, if you guys need some time later to sort stuff out, I can watch him.”

Gordon sighed. “Thanks, Virg.”

***

Havoc pulled at the scratchy uniform, the neckline somehow more constricting than her usual skin-tight outfit. The job was, frankly, ridiculous- she had never understood why those with a bit of money needed someone else to clean their fancy houses and make their cups of tea- but it gave her access to the kitchens and, crucially, the tea, so Havoc had just had to suck it up and do the job.

As assignments went, this was not the most high octane mission she had carried out, and Havoc was already bored after only three days. She hated her disguise- a meek, unobtrusive person she had called Lexie, with dark hair and easily forgettable features- and at the end of the day, when the staff were dismissed and permitted to return to heir own homes, Havoc was subjected to the disinterested scrutiny of Grove and the Hood, who only seemed to care as far as making sure that she and Fuse hadn’t blown their covers or done anything else to jeopardise their quest for revenge.

Havoc sighed as she measured out the required scoop of poison and added it to the tea, stirring it with a clean teaspoon and dropping it into the sink with a clatter. It was increasingly tempting to just tip all of the powder into his Lordship’s evening tea and have done with it, just so she wouldn’t have to come in again the next day, but the possibility that Grove and the Hood would then kill her out of rage was just too high, and despite what previous actions would suggest she did have some instinct for self-preservation. 

As Havoc set all the accoutrements onto the tray- teacup, pot, milk, sugar- and set off down the hallway to Lord Hugh’s study, she entertained herself with fantasises as to what she and Fuse would do with their share of the money once the Thunderbird places were shared. Havoc was a little hazy as to what the plan was once Penelope was captured, but she and Fuse had been promised compensation once the plan had been completed and going by the Hood’s history of wanting to gain access to the Thunderbirds, it wasn’t an unreasonable leap of logic to assume that Penelope would be exchanged for the blueprints.

She knocked on the library door, entering after a pause despite there being a lack of invitation, and made her way over to the desk. Lord Hugh was already sat in his desk chair, eyes closed and pallor grey, his expression pinched with pain despite his apparent lack of consciousness.

“Sir? Lord Hugh?” Havoc asked, her voice higher and softer than usual as part of her disguise. There was no response. “Lord Hugh?”

The figure in the seat stirred, eyes fluttering open, and Havoc hastily rearranged her features into one of concern.

“You alright sir?”   
  


“Hm? Oh, yes, thank you,” he murmured, reaching for the tea. “Must’ve dozed off.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? You look kinda… peaky.”   
  


“Quite sure, nothing to be concerned about.” He poured a cup and raised it to his lips, drinking a long draught of the tea. “Thank you,” he added pointedly, and Havoc bobbed her head, exiting the room. Once she was outside, a smirk played on her lips. She wasn’t sure what exactly had been put into the compound, but whatever it was, it was working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was updated for Eirabach and also because I was able to write more this week than I thought I would.
> 
> A bit shorter than normal, but such is life.


	4. Chapter Three

The next few days were icy on the tropical island, the tension thick and heavy. The only person who seemed impervious to the atmosphere was Lucas, who spent most of his time flitting between parents and uncles. Alan and Brandon spent most of their time on the Island’s only beach, going down early in the morning and not returning until past dinnertime, much to Grandma Tracy’s consternation, despite Jeff having taken over the cooking duties since returning, especially as Grandma Tracy had entered her ninth decade and couldn’t always be counted on to remember to turn off the cooker. The two were sometimes joined by Penelope and Lucas, who would wander down at lunchtime with a picnic, and whilst Brandon showed Lucas how to jump over the waves, Penelope and Alan would sit and rage against having to stay stuck on the Island until the heat and potential for sunburn would force Penelope and Lucas to return to the villa.

Virgil, Brains and John had taken the unexpected downtime as an opportunity to overhaul both the soft and hardware systems in each of the Thunderbirds. Each morning a hideously strong pot of coffee was brewed, as per the preference of Virgil and Brains, and was kept warm in the corner of the workroom as the three of themes systematically pulled the guts out of each of the crafts, tinkered with them, and fit them back together again. Occasionally Scott or Jeff would come down ostensibly to help, but this ‘help’ was mostly in the form of watching and commenting, to the extent that the otherwise placid three members of the Island were at the brink of tearing their hair out and both Scott and Jeff ended up being banished from the room to prevent the risk of one of the three exploding in temper.

Gordon, meanwhile, had taken to trying to help Kayo track Grove and the Hood down from the remote safety of the Island. Calls were made and CCTV was hacked in an attempt to try and find the criminals. Unfortunately, their search had so far proved to be fruitless, and Gordon could feel the stress building and spilling over into his relationship with Penelope. Although they had managed to fall into some sort of uneasy truce- Penelope accepted Gordon’s motives, Gordon acknowledged they should have spoken first- the confinement to the Island was still not Penelope’s preferred method of dealing with the issue. Horse were spent everyday on calls to various contacts who may hold information, Penelope from her vast network of information sources and Gordon from his WASP days, whilst Kayo liaise with the GDF, but the lack of progress was frustrating, leading to more than one clipped tone and argumentative conversation.

Then, Lord Hugh was rushed to hospital, and it all became moot.

***

Fuse watched as the ambulance rushed away from Haregreen House with the rest of the staff, shoulders taut with tension. It had taken less time than originally anticipated for the poison to build in Lord Hugh’s system to the extent that he was now practically comatose, having not accounted for the fragile health of a victim older than that of those it had been administered to in the past. Fuse was worried. He had counted on having at least another week or so before it was critical to contact Lady Penelope and get her to stay on the Island, away from his lunatic, psychopathic employers and sister, but now his time frame had shortened dramatically and the messages he had been sending to Lady Penelope seemed woefully inadequate.

That inadequacy would have to be addressed, immediately, despite Fuse’s hesitation to do so. Fuse had one last method, one more trick up his sleeve, to warn the Tracy family of the trouble that they were facing, but in doing so he would be severing his ties with Havoc, after spending a lifetime together. He hated the thought of leaving his sister, but she seemed hell bent on continuing her path of destruction, whether it was theirs or someone else’s. In the conscience that had started to develop when they had first started going after International Rescue, Fuse had become more and more uncomfortable with his sister’s actions and decisions, and now Fuse was faced with a choice. Either he stood back, allowed the plan to continue with it resulting in the capture of Lady Penelope and potential- probable, at this rate- death of Lord Hugh, or he cashed in his last chip and prayed it paid off. It would mean he would have to go on the run, and remain on the run for the rest of his life, but the wrath of the Hood and Grove was a price worth paying in this circumstance.

As he turned to head to the back entrance, where he knew the rest of the household staff would be waiting, he caught a glimpse of a photograph in a small simple frame. Photographs were rare in the second half of the twenty-first century, and Fuse found himself drawn to it. It depicted Lady Penelope and Gordon- Fuse felt the twinge of guilt he always felt when reminded of the Tracy he had almost killed- and in his arms, a tiny baby wrapped in a soft looking blanket. In that moment, looking at such an intimate family portrait, Fuse’s mind was made up. He had no vendetta against the Tracy family or the Creighton-Wards, and this plan was destructive to the extreme. He could no longer allow more families to be torn apart when there was something he could do.

***

“Gordon.” Gordon looked up as Penelope called his name, her voice small and tight. Virgil wordlessly reached over to distract Lucas with the continuation of constructing a model volcano that was due to erupt late that evening and Gordon stood, wiping his hands on a paint stained rag and heading over to Penelope.

“What is it? You okay?” he asked, once the two had moved to the patio by the pool.

“I have to go to England,” she said, and Gordon’s jaw twitched.

“Pen, we’ve talked about this-”

“My father is in hospital, Gordon. In a come. I have-” she paused, closing her eyes briefly as she tried to regain control over her emotions. “I have to see him, please…”

“Okay.” Gordon pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. “It’s okay, we’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

Gordon kissed the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles on her back. “Why don’t you go pack. I’ll let Dad know and we can go straight away, okay? It’ll be alright.”

Penelope nodded and moved away. Gordon sighed, heading back inside and towards his father’s study. There was an incessant uneasiness in his mind, one that screamed to keep Penelope and Lucas safe on the Island, but if something happened to Lord Hugh and they hadn’t gone, he knew that Penelope would never forgive him and that knowledge was unbearable. Parker would be there and it was unlikely either Grove or the Hood would target them at the hospital or Haregreen house, Lord Hugh’s preferred residence. Gordon knocked on the study door, and found himself hating the two criminals more than he had hated anyone before, even when his father had disappeared, he had almost been killed and Penelope had been captured. The situation where they had to hide out and feel unsafe even visiting seriously ill relatives was entirely due to them, and Gordon hated them for the position he had been forced into.

Still, Penelope needed them to go to England. He would be there, Parker would be there, and Gordon had to trust Penelope’s assessment they would be safe.

*** 

It was several hours after FAB1 had taken off and headed towards England, and Scott was already marvelling at the quiet on the Island with the absence of two generations of pranksters. Having been kicked out of the workroom- again- Scott had decided to take advantage of the downtime to relax outside, something that was usually impossible.

His relaxation was interrupted by the ringing of his comms and Scott frowned, unsure as to who would call him other than his family. He opened the channel, noting the unfamiliar frequency, slipping into professionalism easily.

“This is Scott Tracy.”

“Hello? This is Cla- Fuse.” Scott’s blood ran cold and he almost closed the line there and then. He knew that his grandmother had spoken to Fuse during the mission to rescue his father, but Scott had never quite been able to forgive either Chaos Crew member no matter how conflicted or repentant they appeared to be. 

“What do you want?” he snarled, the mask of professionalism cracking. 

“It’s about Lady Penelope and Gordon. They’re in danger.”

“What are you talking about?”

There was a sigh of frustration. “I don’t have a lot of time, once they find out I’ve called you they’ll come after me, but you can’t let them leave the Island. They’re in danger if they do. I-”

There was a bang in the background and Fuse broke off for a moment, before returning, his tone panicky and rushed. “I’ve got to go, they’re going to catch me, but please don’t let them leave, they’re not safe.”

“Wait-” it was too late, the comm line going silent. Scott stared at it for a moment, processing the call, before swearing loudly and summoning his family to the den for an emergency meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit shorter than usual, but it's starting to pick up plot wise. Hope you enjoy it :)


	5. Chapter Four

“What are you doing?”

Fuse jumped at Havoc’s voice, almost dropping the phone as if he had been scalded. Instead, he slipped it into a secure pocket, hoping that Havoc hadn’t seen it but resigning himself to the fact that she probably had. He straightened his shoulders, preparing himself for the confrontation Havoc didn’t know was coming.

“Nothing.”

“‘Nothing’,” she scoffed. “Well, can you start doing something and move your butt? We’re getting the new coordinates in five minutes, the boss ain’t gonna be happy if we keep him waiting.”

“I’m not going.”

Havoc stared at him, gaping. “You’re not what?”

“Going. I’m not going. I’m done with this. People are getting hurt, and for no reason, so I’m leaving. I’d like it if you came with me but-”

“Fat chance. What are you even talking about Fuse? I thought you were over all this soft shit?”

“It’s wrong, Amy. Can’t you see that?”

“ _Don’t_ call me Amy,” she snarled. “Are you completely out of your mind? You’ll get yourself killed over nothing.”

“No, those people are going to be killed over nothing. I’m tired of not being free. When have we ever been able to call the shots, to decide for ourselves whether or not to do something? And when has going up against the Tracys ever gone well?”

“I _have_ chosen,” Havoc said, baring her teeth. Her muscles bunched, preparing to spring and Fuse’s stance widened in response to the imminent attack, but before it could come Havoc’s comm chimed. Fuse did not wait to hear what the Hood had to say. The positions had been made clear and he used the distraction to run.

***

Gordon swore as he fumbled for his comms, throwing an apologetic smile at the worker behind the till and ducking out of the queue to take the call. They had gone straight to the hospital, waiting on uncomfortable chairs whilst they waited to be allowed in to see Lord Hugh. Eventually, Gordon had gone to get them all coffee whilst Lucas slept curled up on his mother’s lap, her fingers coming through his hair absently.

“Hello?”

“Gordon? Where are you?” asked Scott immediately, voice panicked. Gordon frowned in confusion, moving away to the quietest area of the café.

“We’re at the hospital. What is it? Have the GDF been in contact?”

“No. Fuse has.” Gordon’s stomach plummeted, but Scott continued before he could say anything. “Look, Gordon, I don’t know how much of what Fuse said we can trust, but either way you guys- Penelope especially- are in danger. I think you guys need to get back home as soon as possible.”

“I… but her dad…”

“Gordon, I’m sorry, but Fuse specifically said you were in danger. I don’t know if it’s from the Chaos Crew or whether the Hood or Grove are involved, but either way you guys need to get back here and stay here.”

“I hear you Scott, I- shit, it’s Parker. I’ll call you back in a minute.” Gordon switched lines, and Parker looked more panicked than Scott had, if possible. “Hey, Parker, I’m on my way back. Did we hear from the doctors? Do we know what happened?”

“Master Gordon. I’m so sorry, I only stepped out for a moment, but Her Ladyship and Master Lucas have disappeared.”

“What?” Gordon stopped in the middle of the busy corridor, terror seizing his heart. “What do you mean? Parker?”

“They’ve gone. I checked the bathroom, hallway, everywhere, but they’ve vanished without a trace.”

“ _Fuck_.” Gordon started running, sprinting through the corridors and ignoring the dirty looks he was receiving in return.

“I’m getting them to check the CCTV footage now, but there’s no sign of them,” Parker said. Gordon couldn’t respond.

“I’ll call John,” he said eventually. “Get him to check.” Gordon disconnected the comms, rounding the corner to the waiting room he had left Penelope and Lucas in. He scanned the room with a critical eye, trying to quell his panic by telling himself that they had probably just gone to the bathroom, when a familiar silver compact wedged in an unobtrusive corner by the door caught his eye. Gordon picked it up with trembling fingers. There was no way Penelope would never purposefully leave her compact unattended. Parker had been right.

They were missing.

***

John rarely got stressed. His job demanded a level head and calm demeanour in order to complete his job and coordinate the help needed, whilst trying to keep those on the other end of the emergency line calm enough to not get into further trouble and provide any complications to the mission. EOS helped; she was great at hacking electronics if needed, stabilising systems until help could arrive or organising flight clearances and emergency services whilst John spoke to those actually involved and coordinated the rescue.

At least, this is how it usually went. The current situation was anything but the usual, however. John didn’t think his brothers had ever made a call for rescue outside of a mission, Sure, there were often calls for assistance during missions, and each craft had emergency codes if necessary- the one time this had been used still gave John nightmares- but to actually have the original call come from his brothers was unheard of.

Until now.

“Gordon, slow down, I can’t understand what you’re saying. Penelope and Lucas need help? Are they hurt?”

“They’ve _gone_ , John. Vanished.”

“And you’re sure they haven’t just stepped outside?”

“John if I thought that was a possibility then why the fuck would I be calling you about it?” Gordon growled. “They are missing. She left her compact, so they were probably taken. What more do you need to know?”

“Alright Gordon, I have to check. EOS is scanning the hospital security footage now and Kayo is on her way, but I need you to try and stay calm, okay?”

“How the hell am I supposed to ‘stay calm’, John? I’m not one of your regular rescue victims. Penelope and Lucas have gone and if anything happens to them…” He sank into one of the seats, scrubbing at his eyes. John was silent, waiting for Gordon to continue, but his brother remained silent, the fight seemingly sagging out of him.

“Do you want me to send Dad? He’s still got some contacts in the GDF, and you’re going to probably be interviewed by at least one law enforcement agency.”

There was still no response, Gordon hunched over himself in his chair. John was at a loss. He had never seen Gordon look so broken and defeated, the lack of any engagement in the conversation particularly alarming. At that point John decided to bring in reinforcement, calling Virgil over to the comms desk and quickly explaining the situation. Virgil’s face fell in horror, and Gordon still did not react.

“Gordon? Where’s Parker?” Gordon’s head lifted and he frowned at the hologram.

“Parker?”

“Wasn’t he at the hospital with you? Where is he?”

“He’s… um… security desk,” Gordon replied, eyebrows still knitted together. “Why?”

“It’s probably better if he brings you back to the Island.”

“No. Absolutely not. How can I look for them from there?”

“Gordon, I know you don’t want to leave them, but you have no idea where they’ve gone or who took them. We don’t even know if it was either the Hood or Grove, and they could still come after you. It’s far safer to continue looking from the Island, and we can help you better. Kayo’s already on her way, she can do anything we need her to in England, but I think you should come home.”

Gordon’s eyes narrowed, jaw set in misplaced anger, but before he could retort Scott’s comm was added to the conversation.

“John, Virgil, we need- oh Gordon, sorry. You need to get back here, now.”

“Thank you,” Virgil said, happy for the support. Gordon shook his head.

“No. I am not going back until they’re safe.”

“Until who are safe?”

“Penelope and Lucas,” John supplied quietly. “They’ve been taken.”

“Shit. Gordon, you have to come back to the Island.”

“No, I have to stay. Please, Scott.”

“This whole thing was a set up, right from Lord Hugh getting sick. It’s not safe for you over there at the moment Gordon, and we can look just as effectively from the Island as we can from England.”

Gordon felt sick, and he had to close his eyes briefly before being able to answer. “Can I at least stay to talk to the police and the GDF?”

“I think you’ll have to,” John cut in. “I’ve already contacted them, they’re very keen to interview you, I think to find any suspects.”

“I think it’s pretty obvious who did this,” Gordon replied, frowning again.

“I know, but they have to follow all the processes so that when they’re caught, they can’t wiggle out on a technicality.”

“If you’re staying, then I’m coming,” Scott announced. John nodded in agreement.

“I think that’ll be for the best. I can arrange transport to drop you off at the police station if you go in Thunderbird One, it’ll be the fastest way.”

“FAB. Gordon, I’ll be there in twenty minutes, thirty tops.” He disappeared before Gordon could properly process what had happened.

“We should probably go update Dad and Alan," Virgil said eventually, breaking the tense silence. "You going to be alright Gordon?” There was no reply.

“Gordon?” John repeated. Gordon blinked, refocusing on his brothers. “You okay?"

“Yeah, I…” he looked away, distracted.

“Gordon?” Virgil asked again, concerned. Spaciness was not uncommon with Gordon, but unusual when stressed and the lack of attention was alarming. A quick shared glance with John had Virgil taking over the comms, whilst John opened a separate line to talk to Parker and get him back to Gordon’s position.

“Gordon? What’s going on?” Virgil tried again.

“I thought I saw- shit. I have to go.” 

“Gordon!” It was too late, the line disconnecting. Virgil tried to contact Gordon again but each time the comms failed. John’s tone took on an extra note of urgency, and Virgil hoped that whatever had caught Gordon’s attention wouldn’t land their brother in further trouble.


	6. Chapter Five

Lucas woke up slowly, taking his time to open his eyes. He went to rub the sleep out of them but frowned when he found that he couldn’t move his arms from behind his back and that his hands seemed to be stuck together somehow. He felt tired and achy. Nut not in the good way he usually felt when he went swimming with his daddy’ this was in a bad way that made him want to snuggle up to one of his parents and let them take away his pain.

He looked around, trying to work out where he was, but it was dark and dusty and hard to make anything out. He was pretty sure he wasn’t at his grandfather’s house, and he knew he wasn’t at home on the Island, but other than that he wasn’t sure.

Lucas looked around again, rolling over and spotting his mother. She was still asleep, her face pale, and Lucas wriggled over to her, leaning his forehead against her chest.

“Mommy?” he asked in a small voice, but there was no response. “Mommy, please wake up. I’m really scared.” There was still no movement and tears started to roll down his face. Lucas found himself hoping that his Mommy would wake up and that his Daddy would come and help them soon.

***

“What are you doing here?” Gordon snarled, slamming Fuse against the wall of the corridor. There was a scandalised ‘sir!’ from the reception desk, but Gordon ignored it, fury clouding his thoughts. In Fuse’s defence, he didn’t even blink, simply going with the movement.

“I came to see Lord Hugh,” he answered simply.

“Why, so you can finish him off? Not content with taking Penelope and Lucas, you have to kill Lord Hugh as well?”   
  


“What?” The colour drained from Fuse’s face, and he looked horrified.

“Where are my wife and son?” Gordon spat, arm pressing harder into Fuse. “Who took them?”

“I’ll tell you everything, I swear, but please-”   
  


“Master Gordon.” A hand fell on Gordon’s shoulder, staying there despite attempts to shrug it off. “Master Gordon, let go of him. He can’t tell us anything if you choke him out.”   
  


That, and only that, broke through the haze of anger sufficiently for Gordon to release Fuse. There was a pause of tension when- 

“If even one hair on their heads is touched, I’ll kill you. Understood?” It was a promise, rather than a threat, and the pure intent behind the words was enough to make Fuse nod shakily. “He comes with us,” Gordon added to Parker, before stalking off.

“Of course.” Parker turned to Fuse, eyebrow raising in cool distaste. “And what do we call you, hm? Fuse, or Clarence?”

“Clarence is fine,” he mumbled.

“Well, Clarence. I think we better follow Master Gordon. After you.”

Squaring his shoulders, Clarence set off after Gordon, leaving his Fuse persona behind once and for all, Parker following behind as a cloud of intimidation.

***

Penelope regained awareness slowly, her thoughts fractured and hard to keep track of. She kept her eyes closed- even the thought of opening them made her stomach roll- but she could feel something warm and solid lying against her breastbone and tucked tightly against her side. She went to move her arm, to feel what was pressed against her, but she found out quickly that it was impossible to move her arms. 

Penelope groaned at this, resigning herself to having to open her eyes. She was planning to do this slowly, hoping that it wouldn’t disorient her too much, but then the warm solid mass moved and whimpered, and instinct overrode any form of logic that her brain was currently capable of, her eyes flying open. 

Luckily, it was dark and for that Penelope was grateful as her head pounded, but it took her several blinks for the world to come into focus. Once the fuzziness had mostly receded, she looked down to see that it was Lucas pressed against her, his shoulders shaking with tears. Penelope swallowed, shifting a little so she could get closer to him.

“Lucas?”

  
“Mommy?”

“Hey, my little starfish. Are you hurt?”

“My hands hurt.”

“Just your hands?”

“I think so.”   
  


“Okay. Can you show me?” Lucas wiggled, Penelope wincing slightly as he elbowed her by accident in the ribs. After a moment or two he flopped against her again.

“I’m sorry, Mommy, I can’t, they’re stuck.” His voice wobbled, and Penelope bent as far as possible to kiss the top of his head.

“It’s okay. Shh, baby, it’s okay. I’m going to turn around and try to help your hands so you can move them again, alright? I do need you to sit up though sweetheart.”

“...Okay,” Lucas sniffled, and the two of them maneuvered themselves around until they were sitting back to back. Penelope reached back as far as possible, shuffling back a little until her fingers caught the ties binding Lucas’ hands together. Penelope worked at the knots, quickly pulling the ties free.

“Can you move your hands now, sweetheart?” 

There was a pause, then- “yes. But my arms feel funny.”

“Do they feel tingly?”

“Yes.”

“That’s okay baby, they were just in the same position for too long. They’ll get back to normal again soon, but first I need you to help me. Do you remember learning knots with Parker?”

“I think so.”   
  


“Okay, good. I need you to unknot my hands for me, do you think you can do that?”

“I’ll try.”

“Good boy.” Penelope sat still as Lucas worked on her wrists, his small fingers fumbling over the knots. Although it took longer than Penelope, he was able to free his mother’s hands and the binding landed on the stone floor. As soon as she could move her arms again, Penelope turned around and scooped Lucas up into a tight hug. Lucas wound his arms around her, burying his face into the crook of his neck whilst Penelope rubbed his back and attempted to soothe him.”

“It’s okay baby, don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

***

Thunderbird One was fast and John was extremely efficient, so it was no surprise that when Gordon, Parker and Clarence finally reached the police station the GDF were using for the investigation, Scott was already waiting outside for them. Gordon had been silent since leaving the hospital, staring out of the window and clutching Penelope’s compact, but as soon as he left the car Scott strode forward and pulled him into a tight hug. Gordon stiffened for a moment, before sagging into his brother’s embrace.

“It’s okay. We’re going to get them back, I promise,” he murmured quietly to Gordon. Gordon’s hands tightened their grip on Scott’s flight suit.

“We have to, Scott. If anything- I can’t-” he broke off, choking on his words.

“Shh, Gordon. I know. We will find them, I promise. But first we have to talk to the GDF, okay? Think you can do that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good. Let’s go in.” Scott let go of Gordon and the two of them walked up into the police station. A GDF personnel was already waiting for them, standing stiffly and face grim. She stepped forward, extending her hand to Gordon, who took it ever so briefly. The moment of vulnerability Gordon had shared with Scott outside had gone, replaced with cold, furious professionalism.

“Good afternoon, I’m Captain Curtis, I’ll be handling your case alongside DS Cooper.” She gestured to her side and a police officer came forward for another round of handshakes. “Shall we move into a more private space? We just need to ask you some questions to aid us in the investigation.”

Gordon nodded woodenly, and the four of them moved further into the police station, leaving Parker and Clarence in the waiting area. The room they were shown to had, at some point, been painted a creamy beige, with pale blue sofas and armchairs positioned in strategic places. The coffee table was cheap and one of those flimsy, do it yourself flat pack kits that always looked as if it would collapse if it had to hold anything heavier than the box of tissues already abandoned on its surface. There were bland prints of flowers adorning the walls here and there, trying to inject a splash of colour and life into the room, but this attempt failed dramatically and the stale air of the room seemed to absorb and intensify the apprehension of those who crossed the threshold.

No one commented, or even seemed to notice, the room’s atmosphere as they all took their seats on deceptively comfortable sofas and Curtis set a small black box on the coffee table. A small part of Scott, the part that was most like Gordon and prone to all kinds of distractions no matter how inappropriate, wondered if he could find out where they came from and add one to his room. The rest of Scott was horrified that such a thought could be contemplated whilst Penelope and Lucas were missing and Gordon seemed to be falling apart at the seams.

“Okay, we’re going to ask you some questions, to try and build a picture of what might have happened and who might have done it. I appreciate that this must be a very difficult time for you, Mr Tracy, and you can take a break when you need to. So that you’re aware for data protection reasons, this conversation will be recorded and DS Cooper and I will be taking some notes but they won’t be shared outside of the parameters of investigation or a court case.”   
  


“It’s Gordon,” he said quietly, staring at the floor. Curtis nodded.

“Okay Gordon. Now I do have to ask, can you tell me where you were between three forty five and four this afternoon?”

“I was in the hospital cafeteria.”   
  


“And what were you doing?”

  
“I was getting coffee, then Scott contacted me.”   
  


“Scott Tracy? I need to clarify, for record purposes.”

“Yes. Scott Tracy, my brother.”

“Are you able to corroborate this?” Curtis asked, turning to Scott.

“Yes. John- our other brother, John Tracy- can get you a call log.”

“We’ll need it before we can let you leave, I’m afraid.” 

“That’s fine,” Scott agreed. Curtis nodded, and Cooper jotted something down in his notebook.

“Okay then. And when did you become aware that Penelope and Lucas were missing?”

“Parker called me. I don’t remember the exact time.”

“Aloysius Parker?”

“Yes,” Gordon ground out, frustrated by the slow progress that was being made. “Do you need the record of that call as well?”

“That won’t be necessary.”   
  


“Then why do you need John’s logs? Surely you can look into CCTV systems of the hospital. Maybe if you did that you’d be able to find out who actually took them instead of wasting time here with me.”   
  


“Gordon,” Scott warned, laying a hand on Gordon’s shoulder.

“Would you like a break?” Cooper asked.

“No, I want you to find my wife and child!”   
  


“And we will, Gordon, but first we have to ask you these questions to eliminate any other line of enquiry.”

“There’s only one plausible line. The Hood and Grove, who escaped under  _ your  _ watch, came after them.”

Curtis and Cooper eyed him passively for a moment, before- “Gordon, can you tell us why you are in England at the moment?”

Gordon groaned and slumped in his seat.

***

Penelope waited for Lucas to fall asleep before laying him as gently as possible on the floor and getting up to examine the room they had been left in. There wasn’t much to go on. It was dark and musty, the smell of damp strong. There were no windows and Penelope concluded that they were most likely in a cellar of some kind, not that that was particularly helpful. She still wasn’t entirely sure who had brought them here, wherever ‘here’ was. THe last thing she remembered was a sharp prick in her neck and her compact slipping through her fingers, before waking up to Lucas pressed against her and no sign of Gordon.

Gordon was the other worry, the other unknown. Penelope had to believe that he was safe and looking for them, because the alternative- that he was locked up somewhere else, alone and possible hurt- was too hideous to think about. No, it was much better to go with the assumption that he was relatively safe.

Still. She and Lucas evidently weren’t, and there was no guarantee Gordon was able to look for them, which meant that Penelope needed to work out a way of getting out of the room- likely cellar- as soon as possible. It would be difficult, without knowing the layout of the building or the motives of their captors, but Penelope had often excelled at information gathering, even if it would have to be without the aid of digital technology. The first thing she needed to know was who took them, how many of them were there and what did they want. It was unlikely that she would be able to fight them, but Lucas could be remarkably stealthy when he wanted thanks to lessons with Parker and pranks with Gordon, and all they needed was to slip away and run until they could contact John. Then it would simply be a matter of waiting until Gordon and his brothers came to rain down holy hell.

There was a creak from the other side of the door and Penelope hurried back to Lucas, positioning herself in front of him. The door opened and Penelope’s heart sank.

“Hello, Lady Penelope. I believe we have some catching up to do.”

Well. At least this time Grove got her name right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know whether I will be able to update next week- I try and keep at least a chapter ahead to what I'm posting, but I've pretty much caught myself up and I'm not sure if I will have time to write much this week because of family stuff.


	7. Chapter Six

Penelope had been part of the espionage world, one way or another, ever since she was born. Although she hadn’t explicitly been exposed to that world as a child, many of her experiences since she could walk and talk and had been designed to aid such a career, from language lessons to varying forms of martial arts. Part of the complex arrangement her father had made with Parker had involved all sorts of tips and tricks for such a trade, and when her mother had died, it had been expected that Penelope would continue that legacy.

Penelope did not begrudge her parents her upbringing- Penelope had never been one to do something she truly did not want to do even as a child- but she and Gordon had been hesitant about exposing Lucas to the dangers of their professions. They knew that Parker liked to show him a few of the things he had taught Penelope when she had been a child, and he probably knew more about water and wilderness safety than the average four year old thanks to Gordon and his uncles, but that was more to keep him occupied more than anything else. The combination of Penelope’s intelligence and Gordon’s energy was not always an easy one to manage, and there had been more than one late night conversation as they wondered whether they were doing the right thing in raising Lucas on an island full of adults. Then Penelope had fallen pregnant again, and the worry that Lucas would be too isolated eased a little, although Gordon had become even more protective, if possible. Penelope didn’t know if it was genetic tendencies that were a common trait in all the Tracy brothers, or if exposure to a myriad of life threatening situations for most of his career served as the root cause for these tendencies, but Penelope had never experienced someone as protective as Gordon and she didn’t think this particular situation was going to help with that.

Penelope knew Gordon would be terrified. She was pretty scared and worried herself. Try as they might Lucas had been exposed to the ugly side of her job, and Penelope wasn’t sure how to protect him, not when she was in the middle of the unknown, unarmed and cut off from any form of back up, with Grove leering at her through the gloom. One arm was wrapped around Lucas, pulling him close to her and letting Penelope curl round him if needed, whilst her other arm had subconsciously moved to protect her stomach.

  
Grove sneered at her, and Lucas whimpered. The grip around his shoulders tightened.

“It must be disappointing,” he began slowly, disdain dripping from every word, “to have such an easily scared son. Not exactly a chip off the old block, is he? Or is it that he takes after his father? Does your husband know what you've got up to in your career, Lady Penelope?”

“What do you want with us?” Penelope replied coolly, ignoring the taunts. “Why are we here?”

“What I want and the reason as to why you’re here are two separate things.”

“And how is that?”

A flicker of something crossed over Grove’s face, something alien and ugly and furious, but Penelope didn’t have time to properly analyse the look before it was replaced, the expression smoothing back into carefully crafted indifference.

“I don’t think that you’re in the position to be the one asking the questions.”

“Well, you seem to be wasting your opportunity asking pointless ones about my son and husband so I decided to take over the pseudo investigation.”

The look of ugliness returned and this time he wasn’t able to hide it. He lunged forward suddenly, Penelope only having just enough time to shove Lucas behind her back before her head was forced back, Grove catching a handful of her hair. Penelope gasped, and Grove’s fist raised, but before anything could happen the door opened. Grove and Penelope froze, forming a hideous tableau, interrupted only by the voice that floated down the short flight of steps that were revealed in the light from the door.

“Hey, Grove, the boss wants you- oh, I do hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Havoc leant against the wall, arms crossed and trademark smirk in place. Grove’s eyes narrowed, boring into Penelope’s for a moment, before he let go of his grip and turned to the stairs in one smooth motion, stalking past Havoc and up the stairs in silence.

“Well then.” Havoc tossed two boxes onto the ground, where they landed with a thud. “See you around. Not like you’ll be going anywhere fast.”

Penelope watched as Havoc headed back up the stairs and out of the room, the door clanging shut behind her, the light dimming back down again. She let out a heavy breath, rubbing her forehead with a shaking hand.

“Mommy?” Lucas’ voice was small and quiet, and Penelope’s hand dropped down again.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Are you?”

“I’m fine too. Can I look around?”

“Yes, but be careful, okay?”

“I will.” Promise in place, Lucas immediately took off around the room, examining all the corners in much the same way Penelope had earlier, although Lucas was doing it whilst humming the theme tune of his favourite show under his breath. Penelope settled herself down in the corner, tired and aching and anxious, keeping a lazy eye on Lucas as he rocketed around. Grove had, inadvertently, revealed more information than he had probably intended, information that would hopefully help Penelope get her and Lucas out of the nightmare they were currently in. For a start, he was evidently not working alone, and it didn't take any particular skill to work out that the Hood was the partner in this endeavour. What was more interesting, however, was that the Hood appeared to be in charge. There was clearly a hierarchy, with Grove in the middle, but this was something that Penelope could use to her advantage. She had been playing the cat and mouse game with the Hood for far longer than she had with Grove, and whilst the Hood's plots and schemes were dangerous they often had a purpose that could be traced to profit and power. Grove might want revenge, but the fact that very little physical harm had so far come to Penelope and Lucas would suggest that the Hood needed them alive, probably for blackmail purposes.

“Mommy! Look! Can I have one?”

“Lucas, put that down!” Penelope had been pulled from her musings by Lucas’ shout, a box being waved over his head. Terror seized at Penelope’s heart as she pulled herself upright, ignoring Lucas’ pout. If Havoc had been here, then Fuse couldn’t be far behind, and Penelope did not trust those boxes to not be some kind of hideous, nasty trap.

“But Mommy, I’m hungry,” Lucas whined, even as he put the box down and trotted over to her.

“Let me check it first.” She bent down, poling at the two boxes, but they seemed to be innocent enough. One contained a pack of water cartons, the other celery crunch bars, and Penelope tried not to dwell on the pang she suddenly felt when confronted with Gordon’s favourite snack. She opened the box of water carefully, still half expecting something to burst out, but all there was inside were the four cartons of water nestled inside. Slightly more confident she set that box down and opened the celery crunch bars, a small sad smile forming as she caught sight of the familiar wrappers. She pulled two out and passed one to Lucas, who traced the words with his finger and mouthed along to the words- Penelope knew that John had taken to teaching his nephew how to read whilst he was planet-side. She watched as he mouthed out the sounds, putting the syllables together before looking back to Penelope.

“One of Daddy’s bars?”

“He won’t mind. I’ll ask Parker to bring him some when we see him again if you’re worried.”

“Oh. When are we going to see him again?”

Penelope sighed, reaching out to stroke Lucas’ hair gently. “Soon, baby.” Lucas nodded and Penelope took out one of the water cartons, tearing off the coroner tab and handing it over to Lucas. “Make sure you drink it up, okay? We can’t have you getting dehydrated.”

The two of them settled down again with their snacks, Penelope’s hand still brushing gently through Lucas’ hair, although she wasn’t sure which one of them the gesture was comforting more. Lucas shuffled closer and closer to Penelope, eventually ending up tucked against her side.

  
“Mommy?”

“Mm? Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can you tell me a story?”

“A story? Well let me think. Oh, this is a good one. Once, there was this really brave man called Gordon…”

Penelope continued to tell Lucas the story of how she and Gordon first met, her voice soft and gentle, elaborating some parts and leaving out the less child friendly moments, and for a short while they were able to leave behind the terror on the other side of the basement door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a day late with this one and I meant to post it yesterday, but work was a doozy and I couldn't.


	8. Chapter Seven

Gordon was at breaking point. He and Scott had been sitting in the stuffy police room for what felt like hours now, going over the same points and issues, and all he wanted to do was scream and rage. He couldn’t understand why they were wasting time going over the same thing in a seemingly endless loop. No, Gordon hadn’t been there or seen anything when they were taken. No, there hadn’t been anything suspicious in the waiting room. Yes, Gordon could think of someone- or some people- who would want to hurt her. No, he didn’t know where they could have been taken.

He had no idea, and that was the point, was it not? If Gordon had any idea, any clue, as to where they might be, he would have torn the place apart. But he didn’t, and the insinuation that he might was frankly insulting. 

“I- can we just stop? Please,” Gordon added, forcing the please into the end of the question for some semblance of politeness, a lifetime of manners difficult to shake off even as his voice cracked. Curtis and Cooper looked at each other, before Cooper nodded.

“Of course, we can take a break-“

“That’s not what I meant. I want to stop the questions. There’s nothing more I can tell you and I want to be with my family.”

“Mr Tracy-“

“Gordon,” he insisted from between gritted teeth.

“That’s not possible. Until we’ve got the answers to our questions, we need to keep you here. It’s the best way to find your wife and son. We can give you a break if you want-“

“What I want is Penny and Lucas back. Failing that, I want to go home, as you won’t let me actually look for them.”

“Mr Tracy-“

“My name is Gordon!” He exploded, leaping to his feet and shaking off the warning hand Scott had laid on Gordon’s arm. “Why aren’t you helping me? Why aren’t you looking for them?”

“We are, Mr Tracy, but we need you to answer the questions first.”

“I have answered them. You’re just not listening and that’s not my fault.” Gordon stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Curtis moves to stand up and go after him, but Scott stopped them.

“Don’t, I’ll go. He’s not going to come back if you try to go after him.”

Curtis sat down again and Scott left the room as well, shutting the door more calmly than his brother had. It didn’t take him long to find Gordon, pacing up and down a corridor not far away like a caged tiger. He stopped when Scott reached him, jaw tight and fists clenched at his sides.

“I’m not going back in there Scott. They’re not doing anything, they’re just asking stupid, pointless questions and wasting time. What’s the point in talking to them when they can’t even get my name right? We’d be better off going home and getting John to help, or asking Kayo, or even knocking on every damn door in Britain. That would actually be doing something, not this- not this  _ bullshit _ . They did more when Dad disappeared, and that time we know who took them and why.”

Scott took a moment to study his brother, taking in his pale face, the way his mouth had been pulled into a thin line, the hardness in his eyes, before nodding.

“Okay, Gordon, we’ll go home. We can regroup there, see if Dad, John or Kayo have been able to find anything. If there are any more urgent questions they can always call. Will you be okay here while I let Curtis and Cooper know?”

“Yeah. Yes, I’ll wait. Or actually I should probably go find Parker, let him know we’re leaving. Fuck, and there’s Lord Hugh to think about as well.” Gordon closes his eyes, trying to regain a sense of control and order over his thoughts.

“Lord Hugh’s in the hospital right?” Scott asked.

“Yeah. He was still unconscious earlier.”

“I’ll ask John to alert hospital security. You see if Parker wants to come with us or stay here. If he does want to come with us, then we can ask if you can be listed as an emergency contact and I can always get you back to the hospital in One if needed. Sound good?”

“Yeah. I’ll go find him. See what he wants to do,” Gordon said, but he still seemed frozen to the spot. Scott took a step closer.

“Gordon?”

“I’m fine. Just need a moment. You should tell dumb and dumber that were going.”

“Meet you by the front desk in ten?”

“Yeah. Ten minutes.”

Scott gave Gordon a reassuring squeeze on the arm, before heading back to the room that they had been questioned in, feeling slightly better that they were now being able to head back to the Island and the support of the rest of the family.

True to his word, Scott approached the front desk exactly ten minutes later, mildly surprised to see that Gordon was already waiting for him with Parker and, curiously enough, Fuse. Scott turned to Gordon, eyebrow raising in question.

“Clarence is coming with us,” Gordon said, tone offering no room for argument.

“Alright then. I won’t be able to fit everyone in One though.”

“I believe I can provide assistance with that. Mr Clarence and I can meet you on the Island in FAB 1, if you and Master Gordon want to go on ahead in Thunderbird One with you.”

“Sounds like a plan. We’ll meet you back home, then.”

Gordon didn’t wait for Parker’s reply, heading straight for the door. Scott gave an apologetic smile to Parker that came out as more of a grimace, before following Gordon out of the police station.

***

If there was some sort of welcome committee when they got back, then Gordon didn't see it. Having grown up as the family’s prankster he had an innate knowledge of how to get around the Island without being seen, and as soon as the extendable platform had finished bringing them to the walkway, he had taken off, wanting the space. His feet took him on autopilot to the quiet part of the villa that was slowly being taken over by his and Penelope’s family. He stopped at the end of the hallway, staring at the three doors that led to the bedrooms and nursery of his family, hesitating. He knew that he should probably shower and change, but he couldn’t go into his and Penelope’s room. The thought of going into Lucas’ room made him feel physically sick, but he couldn’t stay out here and couldn’t face his brothers. 

He reached out for the door in the middle, the one that was connected to his and Penelope’s room and had once belonged to Lucas before the pale green walls had been repainted a soft yellow only a few weeks ago by Gordon and Virgil on a rare day off. He stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him. It was quiet inside, peaceful even, and Gordon walked slowly around the room, his hand trailing over the furniture before curling up in the armchair that had, apparently, once been in an infant Penelope’s room. Before he could even think to try and stop it, a tear slid down his cheek, followed by another and another, and before long he was hunching over himself, arms wrapped around his torso as his entire body shook with sobs.

***

“How is he?” Virgil asked as soon as Scott entered the lounge, most of the rest of the family already gathered in various states of distress.

“He’s… not good. At all. I think he’s barely holding it together, to be honest.”

“Did the GDF find anything?” Virgil continued, eyebrows pulling together in concern. Scott shook his head, sitting down on one of the sofas and sinking into the cushions.

“What, nothing?” Alan asked incredulously, fingers tangled in Brandon’s which he was clinging on to for dear life.

“The CCTV was wiped. All we know is the time frame they went missing in and the vague direction of the exit, but even that isn’t particularly helpful as they used the emergency entrance to the hospital,” John replied. Alan swallowed heavily, and Brandon pressed a kiss to his temple.

“There’s something else. Turns out Clarence- Fuse,” Scott added, catching the confused looks of most of the occupants of the room, “was hanging around the hospital. I don’t know all the ins and outs, but I do know he tried to warn me about something just before they were taken, that’s what I was going to tell everyone.”

“Does Gordon know?” John queried. Scott shrugged.

“I think he knows something is going on, but like I said. He’s uh, not really with it. He did invite Clarence back to the Island though. Not completely sure why, but he was following behind with Parker in FAB 1.”

“Guess we’ll find out more when they get here,” Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“When they arrive we can figure out some sort of plan and strategy.”

“I’ll go put some coffee on.”

***

Gordon was only vaguely aware when the door opened and someone entered the room, not able to process the awareness into something conscious until he felt paper soft hands brushing through his hair and cupping his cheek, a thumb wiping away the tears that were still falling.

“Oh honey. Let’s get you up.”

“Grandma?”

“Come on, up you get.” Gordon let himself be coaxed up and out of the chair, stumbling blindly behind her.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where you won’t hurt your back, you’ll get much too stiff if you sleep in that position.”

“I don’t want to sleep Grandma.”

“I know. But I also know you’re exhausted and terrified and sleep will help just a little with that.”

“Grandma-“

“Shh, Gordon. I know. I know you don’t want to, but you need to. I was the same, when your Dad went missing.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a small, sad smile, and suddenly he didn’t feel quite so isolated.

Gordon didn’t protest any further, letting his grandmother pull him along towards the main part of the villa where his old room was. Jeff was already waiting when they got there, leaping up from the bed as they entered and pulling Gordon into a tight hug. Gordon sagged against him for a moment, trying to absorb the comfort being offered, before stepping back.

“I should probably shower.”

“We’ll wait here for you. I already put some pyjamas in the bathroom,” Jeff said, and Gordon nodded jerkily.

Twenty minutes later he was fast asleep, the events of the day and the sedative Grandma had slipped into his tea overwhelming him and rendering him unconscious. Just as she had promised earlier Grandma Tracy sat on the bed next to him, rubbing soothing circles into his back, whilst Jeff sat on Gordon’s other side, a pair of desperate guardians ready to leap to Gordon’s defence if needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to take the next few weeks off from posting, partly because I have caught up with myself and partly because I really, really need a break from writing. I love all my stories, but it is super busy at work at the moment and I am struggling to find the energy to write afterwards and don't want to burnout. It won't be for too long, but it is needed.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

It was dusk on the Island by the time that Parker and Clarence arrived. Gordon was still asleep in his room and the rest of the family were loath to wake him and make him face reality, but Jeff had left the safeguarding to Grandma Tracy, re-joining the rest of his sons in the lounge to greet their guests. Jeff would be lying if he claimed that he wasn’t wary about Clarence’s arrival to the Island, however unfair; he had seen the reports, read the medical logs, knew the damage that the Chaos Crew had wreaked on his family and in particular Gordon. He had similar apprehensions when he had first met Dave, aware of the actions he had committed as the Mechanic, but Virgil trusted him and had spoken quite clearly of how the Mechanic had been controlled by the Hood, how his help had been essential in building the monster ship that had eventually brought Jeff home. If Virgil could see past the bad that Dave had done to the extent that he was willing to give his heart to him and enter a relationship, then Jeff would trust his judgement.

Apparently, he was going to have to do the same for Clarence. 

There was an awkward silence as Parker and Clarence entered the lounge. Jeff took a long sip of coffee, keeping his immediate expression hidden by the mug as he took in Clarence for the first time. The man looked sheepish, unable to meet the eyes of the rest of his sons, but there was something to his eyes that reassured Jeff. They seemed kind and deeply apologetic, and Jeff felt himself becoming more inclined to hear him out and find out what, exactly, had prompted Gordon to invite him to the Island.

Parker and Clarence seated themselves on the sofas around the lounge and Max whirred in with a series of clicks and beeps, bearing two steaming mugs that were brandished in front of the two visitors. The acceptance of the refreshments seemed to break the silence that had fallen, and Jeff sat back at his desk whilst Scott took the lead, having turfed John out of the desk chair once he had returned from looking after Gordon. It had not taken Jeff long after coming back from the Oort Cloud to find that the sofas were not the best for his creaking joints.

“So. Clarence, right?” Scott began. Clarence nodded. “What do you know about Penelope and Lucas disappearing? And how do you know?”

“It was all the Hood’s fault,” Clarence began quietly, staring into his mug. “At least, I think it was. He was working with this other guy, Grove, but it was the Hood who contacted Havoc and told us where to meet them. At first I thought we were just supposed to be helping them escape, but then- but when they started talking about poisoning and kidnapping I knew that it was much worse than that.”

“Wait,” Virgil interrupted, holding up his hand to halt Clarence. “What do you mean poison? Who was poisoned?”

“Lord Hugh. We got positions as staff at his house and Havoc put the poison in his tea.”

“You tried to kill him?” Alan asked, tensing in his seat. Clarence seemed to shrink under the accusation and Brandon put a hand on Alan’s shoulder, pulling him back.

“Shh, let him finish first,” Brandon soothed. Alan snapped his jaw shut but stayed quiet, and after a moment Clarence continued.

“They weren’t- the plan wasn’t to  _ kill  _ him, just make him sick so that Lady Penelope would come to visit. He isn’t- he’s still alive, isn’t he?” He asked desperately, finally looking up.

“His Lordship is in a critical condition, but he’s still kicking about,” Parker confirmed.

“Good- that’s good. I’d tell you what the poison he was given was, but I don’t know it, I think it was one Grove had made.”

“That’s unsurprising,” John said, expression carefully neutral. “Grove was an international arms dealer and was responsible for the creation and development for lots of nasty weapons. A synthetic poison would not be too hard for him to create.”

“I didn’t know that. I stole a bit though, that’s why I needed to talk to Scott, or one of the reasons. You have to believe me, I didn’t know that all these people were going to get hurt. I didn’t want to get involved with the Hood again, but y’know, Havoc’s my sister, and she was the one who agreed for both of us. I guess they’ll be hunting me down now that I escaped them, but when I found out what they were planning, I had to do something, I had to warn you guys.”

“You were the one who sent those messages to Penny, weren’t you,” John guessed, and Clarence nodded.

“Yeah. I was hoping she’d stay here, but I guess with her dad being sick she had to go. That’s when I rang Scott, once I saw Lord Hugh being taken to hospital, but I wasn’t quick enough and they still got her.”

“But why didn’t you tell someone? Why didn’t you tell  _ us _ ?” Alan burst, unable to contain his emotion further. Clarence shook his head.

“I  _ couldn’t _ . Havoc- she’s my sister, right, she’s all I’ve got. I wasn’t able to leave her then, it was hard enough to leave when I did. You have brothers. Tell me, if one of them did something that was wrong, could you just leave them?”

“...No.”

“Exactly.” Clarence paused, taking a deep breath and trying to gather his thoughts again before speaking. “Look, what they did- it was wrong. Really wrong. I tried to stop it, to warn you guys, without drawing Grove or the Hood’s attention, but I was too late. I had to protect Havoc as well. I don’t  _ like  _ what she’s doing, I don’t  _ agree  _ with it and I wish she would stop, but also if I went after those two straight away then they could think she was working with me too. This was the only way I could try to protect both people.”

“But you failed.”

“Alan, give it a rest,” Scott said wearily, frowning at his youngest brother, but it was Clarence who held Alan’s gaze.

“Yeah. I failed. And now they’ll probably come after me. The Hood… I’m sure you guys remember how dangerous he is. He’ll be coming after me now.”

“Then you can stay here,” Jeff said, finally entering the conversation. “If you’re in danger, then we can protect you here.”   
  


“That’s very generous, but no. He knows where you live, he knows I’ll come here. I can’t… no. You guys have already been put in enough danger.”

“What about Dave?” Virgil asked suddenly. “He’s got a spare room anyway, and he’ll know how to hide from the Hood, plus that way you’re not cut off completely from us.”

“Who’s Dave?” 

“Dave used to work for the Hood as the Mechanic,” Scott said succinctly, whilst Virgil rolled his eyes. 

“He’s not- he wasn’t  _ working _ for him, he was being  _ used _ by him, there’s a distinction, but he was able to break from the Hood’s control.” 

“Plus you would probably be safe in Brooklyn, Dave has all sorts of security on his place,” John added. Everyone turned to him, and a light blush dusted his cheeks. “We were talking about it, last time he visited.”   
  


“...okay then. I can fly you over now, I need to talk to him anyway.”   
  


“It sounds like a good idea,” Scott added, and Clarence nodded slowly. 

“Okay. I’ll go. Brooklyn, you said? Never been there before.”

“You probably won’t see much of it, but it should be safe.”

“What about after though?” Clarence asked, even as Virgil moved over to his launch chute. “I can’t stay with- with Dave forever.”

“You could probably talk about it with him, see if he has any tips. He might even offer you the loft, we were talking about him maybe moving to the Island full time after Christmas anyway,” Virgil commented, before tipping backwards into the chute that would take him to Thunderbird Two, smirking at the surprised expressions of his family.

“Um… where did he go?” Clarence asked, blinking at the empty space that Virgil had just been standing in.

“To the hangars. C’mon, I’ll take you the scenic route,” Scott promised, getting to his feet and leading Clarence back down to the hangars.

***

The slap echoed throughout the room and Penelope woke with a jolt, hand touching her stinging cheek briefly. Havoc huffed from where she was leaning over Penelope, a new light source from a large desk lamp causing strange shadows to dance across her face. Penelope could taste the iron of a split lip, and she wondered just how much force Havoc had been told to put into the blow.

“Rise and shine. Boss wants you up and looking pretty.”

“Pretty for what?” Penelope asked, taking in the lights and fragile looking chair that had been added to the room whilst she had been asleep. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to be filming your ransom note, Lady Penelope,” came a recognisable sneer, and Penelope’s eyes narrowed. “To send to your darling husband.”

“Hood. I should have realised it was money you were after. I can see you still haven’t learnt the concept of working legally for your income.”

“As if you’re one to talk, or do you need a history lesson in the British aristocracy and how they made their fortunes in the first place?”

“I’m sure that there are easier ways than kidnapping to make money.”

“Perhaps, but this method fulfils a secondary purpose.”   
  


“And what is that?”

The Hood moved further into the room, his snake-like eyes boring into Penelope’s. “Revenge. Now, are you going to wake the little one, or do I need to get Havoc to do it?”

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ touch him,” Penelope warned, voice ice cold. 

“Or what? You’ll retaliate? I rather think you’re outnumbered, Your Ladyship, but if you really want to protect him, then you might want to do as I say and not test my patience.”

Penelope’s jaw clenched, but the promise of violence hung heavy in the air and with reluctance she turned her attention to Lucas. Lucas looked back at her, his eyes huge and fearful, and something twisted deep inside of Penelope. 

“Okay. What do I need to do?”

“Just sit there, and read what we tell you. We will set everything up.” The Hood snapped his fingers and there was a flurry of movement from Havoc, switching on the different pieces of technology that had been added to the room. Eventually, she approached Penelope, forcing her wrists against the armrests of the chair and tying them up with a piece of rope. Penelope ignored her, only able to look at Lucas, who was still looking at her with an expression enough to break Penelope’s heart. 

Soon, everything was ready and Havoc stepped back. The lights were bright and the rope that was keeping Penelope attached to the chair was chafing at her wrists, but she couldn’t focus on that at the moment. Every part of her attention was trained on Lucas, who had been directed to stand directly in front of Havoc. For the first time since waking up in the basement Penelope felt genuinely terrified, and it was that terror that was preventing her from lashing out against the Hood and Grove. Whilst she was logically confident that ultimately they wouldn’t harm Lucas too much, needing him to ensure her cooperation and to use as a significant bargaining chip, she couldn’t help but be forcibly reminded of the last time the Chaos Crew had hurt someone she loved, the memory of Gordon’s broken body lying across the backseat of FAB1 with his head cradled in her lap still providing fuel for her nightmares more than ten years later.

This terror was exponentially worse.

Grove stepped forward, pressing a button on a small projector so that the short speech Penelope was expected to give was thrown up into the air. The camera standing on the tripod- if she wasn’t so worried, part of Penelope would have wondered which one of the three had managed to source all of this professional equipment and gain the skill necessary to operate it- clicked into action, and the Hood’s face twisted into a triumphant snarl.

“Well, Lady Penelope. It’s showtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! (ish). After writing nothing for nearly three weeks I got two and a half chapters done over one weekend, so I feel like I did kinda need that break lol.
> 
> For those of you who are wondering about Dave and Virg, there is a separate story for those two called East of Eden, it's part of the same universe. Be warned though, there is smut.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Penelope held onto Lucas as tightly as possible as the vehicle rumbled beneath them, the black hood over her head doing an efficient job of blocking out any light whilst the pressure of the gun pressed against her temple made it perfectly clear that an escape attempt would not be in her best interests. She wondered vaguely why they hadn’t bothered to tie her hands up again, but surmised that they had probably learnt that knots were not an obstacle for her. Took them long enough to reach that conclusion.

The rumbling stopped and Lucas was torn away from her. She could hear him crying, but the gun was pressed more tightly against her head and Penelope had to let him go. She wasn’t kept waiting long before she was guided roughly out of the vehicle, stumbling over the ground as she was pulled along. Penelope’s mind was in overdrive as she tried to work out as much information as possible about their location and where she was being taken, whilst her ears strained to hear Lucas. She could still hear him whimpering up ahead and it took all of her restraint not to break free of whoever was guiding her and rush after him. Unfortunately, that was a sure fire way of getting one of them killed, and even if she did reach Lucas there was no guarantee of an escape. It was hard, the hardest situation she had ever been in, but Penelope forced herself to remain calm and focused on the task she had set herself. She had the plan, now all that was left was to execute it.

Penelope tripped, a piece of loose stone causing her to lose her footing, and she reached out blindly to stop herself from falling. Her hands caught on somebody’s- she guessed Havoc, going by the curves- waist, and she managed to stop herself from landing face first. There was a cry of disgust and Penelope straightened up quickly, before she was shoved through a doorway and the weapon pressed against her was removed. There was a bang as the door was slammed shut and locked, and Penelope reached up to take the hood off her head. Before she could look around, Lucas slammed into her, hugging her tightly and Penelope bent to pick him up and comfort him.

“I want to go home Mommy, I want to go home and see Daddy,” he wailed, clinging to her whilst Penelope rubbed circles on his back.

“I know sweetheart, I want to go home as well, and we will.”

“I want to go home now.”

“I know,” Penelope repeated. “I just need a little bit more time, but we’re going home really soon.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

***

The lounge was almost empty when Gordon came down the next morning. It was dawn and the sky was stained with pink and orange, chasing away the last vestiges of the night sky, and Gordon hadn’t really considered that anyone else would be up but as he entered the room John was already sat at their father’s desk, face pulled into a frown and various tabs hovering in front of him, spitting out reams of information that Gordon couldn’t even hope to decipher. John didn’t notice Gordon’s entrance at first absorbed as he was in processing the data in front of him, not looking up until he absent-mindedly lifted the mug at his elbow up to his lips and found that there was nothing left inside it, breaking him out of his concentration and seeing his brother for the first time since Penelope had gone missing.

“Oh, hey Gordon. How long have you been up?”

“Not long,” Gordon answered, voice hoarse and devoid of emotion. 

“Do you want some tea?”

“Sure.”

John stood and headed to the kitchen, returning a short while later with two steaming mugs. Gordon shuffled over and curled up into a chair, John placing one of the mugs in front of him before settling back down in his own seat and returning his attention to the work out in front of him. It was quiet for a while, John flicking through the files and Gordon staring into his mug, but that was broken by a chime from John’s tablet.

“What- Eos, where is this coming from?” John asked, confusion creeping into his voice and causing Gordon to look up from his study of the mug.

“The exact source location has been hidden John.”

“Is it possible to uncover the source?”

“My calculations predict that whilst it is possible to do so, it would take a significant amount of time and would not be suitable if a rescue opportunity is required.”

“What is it?” Gordon asked. 

“A video message of some sort. It’s managed to bypass the GDF, who are screening rescue calls for us at the moment, but our firewalls haven’t detected any virus.” 

“Why don’t you play the video then? See what it’s about?”

“Going to have to.” John cleared the rest of the tabs, leaving only the video message projected in the space above the desk, and Gordon moved around to the other side of the desk so that he stood next to John. John reached out to tap the video, and the message began to play.

_ “Gordon. Please listen very carefully, as any action you and the rest of the family take will affect me and our son. You will by now have probably worked out that we are being held by Mr Grove and the man you refer to as the Hood. We are not being held arbitrarily. There are certain conditions you will need to meet that will ensure our safe return, these will be sent to you after this message has finished playing. If you do not meet these conditions then the safety- mine and our son’s safety cannot be guaranteed. Do not try and trace this call, we will have already been moved by the time you receive this message. Gordon, I-”  _

The message stopped abruptly, and a second chime indicated the arrival of the list of demands. Gordon didn’t process the second chime, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, the world spinning as he remained frozen and staring at the still image of Penelope’s face, scared and bruised as it was. John stood up abruptly, and it wasn’t until Gordon was forced into his brother’s chair did he realise how light headed he had become, or that John had been trying to get his attention.

“Come on Gordon, deep breaths. Do you need me to get Grandma?”

“No, I’m okay,” Gordon mumbled. John passed him his tea and Gordon took a shaky sip, trying to regain his focus.

“I set Eos on trying to source where the message came from. Even if they’ve moved on from there, it may still give us a clue, someone may have seen something.”

“Okay. That’s good.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. No. I don’t- I don’t really know, John. Penny didn’t look too hurt, but she was scared and Lucas wasn’t there. What if he’s hurt? What if they’re split up? He’s  _ four _ , how could they take a four year old?”

“I don’t know, Gordon. Look, Kayo and I have been searching, she’s been following up on potential witnesses and I’m going through the CCTV, but this is the closest clue we’ve had. I’m going to get the others up and then we can take a look at the ransom note. If it’s just money they want then we’ll pay it, no problem. We’ll get them back Gordon.”

“So everyone keeps saying, but like you said, this is the biggest clue we’ve had so far and it’s just something that will trace back to where they  _ were _ , not where they are now, whilst in the meantime they’re stuck with two absolute lunatics, possibly separately.”   
  


“I know it’s hard, Gordon, but do you honestly think that Penelope would let them separate her from Lucas? If they had I doubt she would have stuck around long enough for them to have been able to have filmed the ransom note. Even now she’s probably dreaming up an escape route. She’s not going to just roll over and let them do what they want.”

“No, she never does like being told what to do.”   
  


“Exactly. We will find them Gordon, I promise. We all want them back too.”   
  


“I know. It’s just- I’m supposed to protect them, but I’m stuck here, away from them, and I feel like I can’t do anything, and I’m so scared. I’m scared of what’s happening to them, of knowing that they’re not safe. I’m scared of what I’m going to do to Grove and the Hood when we get hold of them.”

“I know, Gordon, trust me. You just have to hold it together until they’re safe. They need you to be on your A-game right now.”

“Focus now, panic later right?”

“Exactly. Get them back first, make sure they’re safe, then maybe swim the equivalent of the Pacific in the pool until you’ve got all the stress and anxiety out.”

“That what you do up on Five?”

“Well I don’t swim. But yeah, pretty similar.”

Gordon took another sip of his tea, looking at the video message again. “So. A-game, huh? Guess we’ll need to see what it is they want. My guess is Thunderbirds.”

“Well, it is the Hood. Let me get the others up, we can look at it together in the lounge.”

***

Havoc was bored. She was not one for sitting around, idly playing babysitter to a member of the British aristocracy and their young son, but yet here she was doing exactly that. Normally she was off on some high octane mission, rocketing around in the Chaos Cruiser and wreaking as much trouble as possible with Fuse by her side. They were a duo, a team, a crew. Even when they had been locked up and had subsequently been separated physically, Havoc had known that at some point she and her brother would be reunited. What she hadn’t planned for- not that either of them had been masterminds at planning to begin with- was Fuse growing a conscience and abandoning her in the pursuit of the lofty goal of moral redemption, leaving her alone for the first time since her brother had been born.

Havoc was not impressed.

Whilst he went gallivanting off around the world sucking up to the Tracys, she was stuck here, in the arse end of nowhere, doing nothing that could even remotely be considered fun. She had leapt at the chance when the Hood had first reached out to them- hadn’t really had that much of a choice, given the power and influence the man had over the criminal underworld- but had forgotten just how mind-numbingly boring it was working with him. There was no room for creativity or impulsiveness or even stealing Thunderbirds without his prior approval. Every little thing had to be approved by him first, not that he was approached for approval often. He called the shots, and everyone else was expected to fall into line like the good- or evil, in their case- little soldiers they were. Minions, that’s all they were, to be used and discarded at the Hood’s leisure.

Havoc had the feeling that the discarding was going to happen sooner rather than later in her case though. Her communicator, the one that had once belonged to Fuse and she had kept ever since he had left, had vanished, and for the life of her Havoc didn’t know where it had gone or when exactly she had lost it.

The Hood was never going to appreciate that breach of secrecy.

***

The rest of the family had been suitably shocked by the ransom video when they were shown, Eos having taken great pleasure in waking them all up from their sleep. Gordon had taken it upon himself to bring everyone some coffee and toast, unable to watch the video again and seizing on the excuse of breakfast. The ransom demand wasn’t any easier to watch; even if Penelope and Lucas hadn’t been made part of it, Gordon had been right in his prediction that it would relate to accessing International Rescue technology for the various nefarious purposes the Hood could dream up.

“So what do we do now?” Alan asked, looking at his older brothers. He had calmed somewhat from the day before, although the bags under his eyes did not suggest that he had a restful night’s sleep. They were all close to Lucas, taking it in turns to babysit, but the bond between Alan and Lucas was especially close and he had not taken the news of the disappearance well.

“I have Eos tracing the source. Even if we don’t immediately find them, it’ll give us a clue as to roughly where they are.”

“I want to go back to England,” Gordon announced, voice remarkably steady. “If you and Eos are able to find something, then I want to be close by.”

“Are you sure?” Scott asked, and Gordon nodded.

“I need to do something, and like John says, if we can trace the source then we can find some more clues. If we do find them, I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to get them back. I want to be there. The Hood is sneaky, we all know that, I don’t want to give him an opportunity to escape.”

“I agree that you’ll need to go over- wait, what?”

“John?” Scott asked in confusion.

“We have an incoming transmission, to Five’s secure frequency.” John’s fingers flew, and a second image replaced the ransom note that was being projected over the coffee table. Gordon gasped.

“Penny?”

“Hello Gordon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! I can't even tell you how excited I am for the next chapter honestly.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

“Is Lucas with you? Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?” The questions tumbled from Gordon as soon as his brain had stopped short-circuiting, and all Penelope could do was smile, swallowing back her tears.

“We’re okay, Lucas is here,” she reassured him, tilting the comms so that Gordon could see Lucas.

“Daddy!”

“Hey, starfish,” Gordon said, smiling for the first time in two days.

“Are you coming to get us?” Lucas asked, resting his head on Penelope’s sternum. “I really want to go home now.”

“I know, I want you to come home too. Uncle John is just figuring out where you are and then Uncle Scott and I will come right over, okay?”

“Do I get to sit in Thunderbird One?”

“We’ll see,” Gordon replied with a watery chuckle. “We have to find out where you are first though, so I need you to keep being brave until then, okay?”

“Okay. Daddy, the scary lady gave me some of your special bars. Mommy said we would get you some more on the way back.”

“Scary lady?” Gordon asked, attention flicking over to Penelope.

“Havoc,” Penelope explained, and Gordon’s jaw twitched.

“Don’t worry Lucas, I don’t mind.”

“Got it,” John said suddenly, interrupting the conversation. “I have the coordinates.”

“How long will it take for you to get here?” Penelope asked.

“Twenty minutes,” Scott replied, already getting up. “Plus two for launch.”

“There are at least three-” All of them froze as there was a bang from Penelope’s end. “I have to go,” she whispered. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”

“Pen-”

“I’ll contact you in a moment.” The feed disappeared, but Gordon didn’t have time to gather himself, Alan already pulling Gordon towards his launch chute.

“You go now with Scott, me and Parker can follow in FAB1,” he said, and Gordon nodded woodenly.

“I’ll send the coordinates once you’re in the air and contact the GDF,” John added just before Gordon pressed his hand to his fish tank and he was whisked away to the hangars.

***

Penelope silenced the comms unit quickly, managing to slip it in her pocket. She put Lucas down in the corner, pressing a finger to her lips.

“I need you to pretend to be asleep,” Penelope whispered urgently. Lucas nodded frantically and curled up, screwing his eyes tightly shut. Penelope scrabbled around, finding the loose stone she had discovered earlier, and managed to pry it loose. Hurrying quickly to the side of the door, she reached the wall just in time for the door to open and Havoc to step inside. Stepping behind her, Penny raised the stone high and smacked it down as hard as possible on the back of Havoc’s skull. Havoc crumpled to the floor and Penelope wasted no time in searching Havoc, stripping her of any weaponry she could find. Her fingers brushed a pulse point and she was vaguely relieved to find that Havoc was not, in fact, dead. Whilst Penelope was sure that no jury would be able to convict her of murder, she really didn’t want to have to deal with the paperwork and trial that would be generated as a result.

Finally, she tore the hood that had been over her head into two long strips with the knife she had found tucked into Havoc’s boot and quickly bound Havoc’s hands and feet together, ensuring that even if Havoc did wake up again, it would be nearly impossible for her to follow.

“Lucas! Time to go,” Penelope urged, her heart starting to pound as adrenaline flooded her body. Lucas scrambled upright, and the two of them crept out of the room.

***

The ride over to England was excruciating, even more nerve wracking than the first time Gordon had gone to save Penelope from the crutches of Grove. Scott, to his credit, was pushing Thunderbird One to go as fast as possible, desperate to get the two of them there as quickly as he could, but even knowing that Gordon couldn’t help but wish they could go faster. He had a suspicion that nothing short of teleportation would be fast enough for him at this point.

Thunderbird One streaked through the sky, the G forces pushing Gordon back against his seat. As soon as Scott had landed Gordon was moving, lifting up the seat restraints and hopping down to the ground as soon as the cockpit opened. This time, he didn’t wait for Scott and John to discuss a plan. He was going to get Penelope and Lucas back, even if that meant tearing the Hood and Grove apart with his bare hands. 

***   
  


Penelope was hyper alert as she and Lucas crept through the house, trying to stick to the shadows and looking for an exit as quickly as possible in the unfamiliar house. Lucas was tucked as close to her as possible, so close that Penelope had to be careful not to trip over him, and she could feel how tightly he was holding on to her hand, almost cutting off circulation whilst his breaths were loud and panicked. Penelope had opened the line to Thunderbird Five again so she could be tracked by John, but a hurried message stopped anyone from talking to them and giving away their position in the house. She ignored the temptation to call them, knowing that it could be disastrous given that she only knew where Havoc was, and didn’t know why Havoc had been sent down to them in the first place. She had the feeling that it was to chuck more celery crunch bars and water cartons to them, but Havoc seemed to possess a mean streak that hadn’t been as dominant in her brother and Penelope couldn’t be sure. Neither could she be sure that Grove or the Hood weren’t lying in wait somewhere in the house, anticipating an escape attempt and ready to pounce if one was made. Penelope was somewhat confident that she would be able to take the Hood on in a fight- the man had never really liked getting his own hands dirty- but she was less sure about Grove. Whatever had happened to him during his stint in prison had changed him, turned him from dangerous to deranged, and she knew without a doubt that he would kill her if given the chance. 

Eventually, they turned down a hallway and found the front door. Penelope rushed for it, picking Lucas up in the process so she could move faster and get out of the house before anyone noticed that they were missing. Her hand had just scrabbled over the catch when she heard a bellow behind her. Praying that Gordon and Scott were already there, she wrenched the door open and set Lucas down outside.

“Lucas, RUN!”

***

Penelope screamed, and Gordon started sprinting towards them, leaving Scott in the dust. He came round the corner just in time to see Lucas running towards him, terror etched on his face, and moments later he was being scooped up into Gordon’s arms. The world seemed to stop for a moment as Gordon held his son, trying to force his brain into accepting that Lucas was really there, that he had him back. It gave Scott enough time to round the corner and Gordon raised his head from where it had been bent over Lucas.

“Lucas where’s Mommy?”

“I don’t know, she said I had to run and so I did.”

“Missing someone?” A hard voice called out, and Gordon looked over towards the house to see Grove stepping through the doorway, Penelope pinned in front of him and a gun pointing to her head.

“Scott, take Lucas. Get him out of here,” Gordon said quietly. Scott didn’t hesitate in reaching out for Lucas, but Lucas tightened his hold on Gordon.

“Want to stay with you.”

“I know, I want to stay with you too, but I have to help Mommy now. Please, Lucas, I’ll be right back I promise, but I need you to go with Uncle Scott.”

“But I want to stay here and help you! I’m brave too, I can help Mommy!”

“I know you’re brave Lucas, I’m so proud of how brave you are, but I don’t want you getting hurt. And, Lucas, this is really important, I know you're brave but you have to help Uncle Scott be brave as well, okay? ‘Cos he’s a scaredy-cat and needs your help. Can you do that for me?”

“Okay Daddy.” 

“Good boy.” Gordon pressed a kiss to the top of Lucas’ head and passed him over to Scott, who immediately disappeared round the corner. Gordon couldn’t watch them go, all he could do was focus on the situation in front of him. Lucas would be fine now that he was with Scott, and Gordon needed to pay attention and block out any distractions. He walked closer to where Grove and Penelope were standing, a maniacal expression on Grove’s face. Grove seemed to sway where he was standing, taking Penelope with him, and Gordon realised just how deranged the man actually was, and the magnitude danger that they were in as a result. 

“Let her go,” Gordon said, still edging closer.

“I don’t think so. See, this bitch here,” Grove pulled on Penny’s hair, causing her to whimper. “She’s responsible for me being locked up for five years. Because of  _ her _ , I lost everything. So no, I don’t think I will be letting her go.”

“What do you want? If it’s money, we can get that to you. Just let her go.”

“I don’t want your money, you think I want the money off someone like you? I want revenge. That’s one thing money can’t buy.” Grove moved the gun away from Penelope’s head, and pointed it at Gordon. “She took everything of mine away. I’m going to take her life as well.”

“No, please, leave him alone,” Penny begged him, voice cracking.

“Why should I? I lost everything, and so now will you.”

Penelope caught Gordon’s eye and nodded, tiny and unnoticed by Grove who was still staggering around, trying to aim the gun properly at Gordon’s head. Before Gordon could even think to question what the nod was for, he caught sight of a steel, wickedly sharp knife in Penelope’s hands, and Gordon started running towards the pair, needing to get Penelope away from the madman. He reached the pair just in time for Penelope to sink the knife into Grove’s abdomen, pulling Penelope out of the way. Grove screamed in rage and pain, arm dropping as he bent double, and Penelope and Gordon had just enough time to stumble out of his grip before he waved the gun wildly at the pair. There was a shot, loud and echoing in the empty space, followed by a howl of pain. Before anyone could react, a second shot rang out and there was a thud as a body hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D
> 
> This chapter is what the whole fic has been based on...


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up- there's the allusion to a panic attack about two thirds of the way down. It's about a line, and isn't graphic or anything, but just in case.

Chapter Eleven

Grove crumpled to the floor in front of them, roaring in pain and anger and disbelief, Parker standing behind him, the gun in his hand still pointing at Grove and held perfectly still. Gordon didn’t see any of this, couldn’t process anything other than the white hot agony of his shoulder and Penelope’s terrified scream. Everything was frozen, suspended, before hands were on his arms and he was being lowered carefully to the ground, Penelope crouching in front of him so that she was in his line of vision.

“Penny- are you- shit this hurts,” Gordon managed between huffed gasps. Something was pressed to his shoulder and Gordon bit his lip hard enough to taste blood.

“Shh, Gordon, just sit tight. It’s going to be okay.”

“Where’s Lucas?” 

“He’s with Alan, don’t worry, he’s fine,” Scott’s voice reassured, somewhere to the side of Gordon. “Just hang on, the ambulance is on its way.”

Gordon wanted to turn his head, find out where his brother was, but even if he could tear his eyes away from Penelope to do so, his vision was greying at the edges, becoming increasingly fuzzy as the adrenaline faded and the pain began to dominate.

“Penny?”

“I’m right here Gordon, please just hold on.” She took his hand, voice thick with suppressed sobs, and Gordon frowned.

  
“Why are you crying?” he asked clumsily. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m trying not too.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You better be.”

“This really hurts,” Gordon whispered, and Penelope moved so that Gordon could lean his head against her chest, starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss. Her hand cupped his cheek, pressing him close, and Gordon closed his eyes so he could focus on her presence, the warmth from her hand grounding him in the pain. He barely registered the sirens splitting the air as the ambulance arrived, didn’t notice that he was steadily slipping into unconsciousness until he was lifted onto a gurney and Penelope’s hand slipped from his face. His eyes flew open and he tried to struggle against the hands that were holding him steady, Penelope’s name falling from his lips in a desperate sob until he felt her fingers running gently through his hair.

“Please don’t leave me again,” he begged, searching for her face.

“It’s okay, darling, Lucas and I will be waiting for you at the hospital.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” She bent down, sealing the promise with a kiss, before stepping back and letting the paramedics wheel Gordon away.

***

The lights of the police cars and ambulances flashed a disco of lights, but the sirens were mercifully silent. Penelope was sat huddled under a blanket in the back of an ambulance, Lucas slumped against her side and dwarfed by his own blanket. She knew that they would both be taken to the hospital, that a barrage of formally asked questions was waiting for her there, but at that moment she was too exhausted to do anything but sit there, rubbing soothing circles on Lucas’ back as he slept. Her head thumped in time to the pulsing lights, but she didn’t think she was capable of even closing her own eyes, let alone shifting into a more comfortable position. She assumed that they would be heading for the hospital soon, but the stress and fear had morphed into a bone deep fatigue, and she couldn’t bring herself to ask someone. She was vaguely aware that the paramedics had pulled a still unresponsive Havoc from the house; Penelope struggled to find any remorse for the injury she had caused. Grove had similarly been bundled away, snarling and spitting in rage and pain until the paramedics were forced to administer a sedative to keep him calm enough for them to bring the bleeding under control and pass him off to the doctors at the hospital. Penelope had been told by a DS Cooper that he would be taken to separate hospital to her and Gordon, but Penelope wasn’t wholly convinced. She hoped that it was true, if only so that she knew Gordon wouldn’t try to track him down as soon as he was able to.

Gordon was a whole knot of worry of his own, one that was so tight that she had to focus on the banalities of the situation at large to stop herself from vomiting. Scott had gone off after the ambulance that had whisked Gordon away, comms line already open to his brothers to update them as to what had happened. Alan had volunteered to stay behind with Penelope, Lucas and Parker, having already reunited the distraught and frantic four year old with his mother. Penelope didn’t blame Lucas for his reaction. If she was able to, she would probably scream as well, and the two of them had clung to each other until Lucas became too overwhelmed with what had happened and had fallen asleep, a comforting deadweight against Penelope’s side. Penelope added that ability to fall asleep anywhere to the list of things she wished she could also do.

Time seemed to have ceased all meaning, as Penelope had no idea how long she was left sitting there whilst parker was questioned by the police and GDF and Alan negotiated with the paramedics to get them taken off to hospital. Time was no longer possible to measure, had no purpose in grounding Penelope to the present, the only thing marking the moments as progressing being the gentle rise and fall of Lucas’ breathing. That, Penelope could focus on, so she did. Eventually, someone moved into her eyeline and Penelope blinked the world back into focus, Parker materialising in front of her. His face was etched in guilt and worry, and for the first time Penelope was able to react to what was happening around her, eyebrows pulling down into a frown.

“Parker?”

“M’lady. They weren’t able to find any trace of the Hood, M’lady, but Mr Grove has been taken to hospital.”

“You shot him.”

“Yes, M’lady.”

“Thank you.”

“...of course, M’lady.” He shuffled awkwardly, but Penelope simply waited for him to say what was on his mind. Parker was never good when pressed, and Penelope had been drilled too extensively in manners and decorum to push him. Finally, he opened his jacket and pulled out Penelope’s compact from the inner pocket. “Master Gordon retrieved this, from the hospital. He gave it to me for safekeeping when we got back to the Island.”

Penelope took it, running a thumb over the smooth surface. She felt and unexpected relief in its return and the knowledge that it hadn’t fallen into the wrong hands, that Brains wouldn’t have to fashion a new one, and she swallowed heavily against the lump in her throat.

“I’m sorry, M’lady,” Parker said quietly, and Penelope looked up in confusion. “For not stopping them from hurting yourself or Master Lucas.”

“Parker, it wasn’t your fault.”

“M’lady-”

“No, Parker. They would have found some way of getting to us. This isn’t something you are responsible for.”

“...as you wish, M’lady.” He ducked out of the ambulance just as the paramedic arrived, Alan hovering anxiously behind. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, M’lady.”

“Of course.”

The doors slammed shut, and the ambulance rumbled off. 

***

When Lucas woke up, it was to a lot of white and a lot of beeping, and neither of his parents. His breath caught; had he imagined escaping the house? Had the mean people taken him somewhere else? He definitely wasn’t where he was before, because this time he was on a bed, but that didn’t mean that the bad man who tried to hurt Mommy wasn’t close by.

He had to get away from here. He had to find his Mommy and his Daddy before the bad people came back and tried to hurt them, or take him away somewhere else. He thought his daddy had managed to find them back at the last place they had been taken to, but he wasn’t here now and Lucas didn’t know if his daddy would be able to find him again.

His breaths came faster and the room swam as he tried to scramble out of the bed, but there were hands stopping him. Lucas thrashed, screaming as loud as possible, before his brain caught up with reality and the soft words of comfort reached his ears, the arms around him hugging him rather than restraining or hurting. He still couldn’t process the words, but he was able to register the soothing tone of them, and slowly his breathing started to come under control.

“That’s it Lucas, deep breaths in and out, nice and slow.”

“Uncle Alan?” Lucas managed to say between gasps, and the arms around him tightened.

“Hey kid. You back with us?”

“Where’s Mommy and Daddy?”

“They’re with the doctors at the moment, but they’ll be okay soon.”

“I want them.”

“I know Lucas, but they’re with the doctors and you can’t right now-“

“But I want them! Mommy promised, and Daddy, and Uncle Scott and I want to see them now,” he wailed, and Alan pulled him into another hug, at a loss as to what to say next. Tucked as he was against his uncle, Lucas missed the desperate look he shot at the other adult in the room and the silent plea that Alan gave him. 

“Shh, Lucas, listen to me, Brandon has gone to find out if we can go find them okay? They might not be ready to see you yet but we can see Uncle Scott and John and Grandpa?”

“I want to see Mommy and Daddy,” he mumbled. “I want to go  _ home _ .” Alan sighed.

“We all want to take you home too, but we can’t just yet.”

“But why not?”

“Because the doctors have to make sure that your Mommy and the baby are okay, and help fix up your Daddy, like Uncle Virg and Grandma do at home sometimes.”

“Daddy’s hurt? Did the bad people hurt him? Are they going to come back?”

“Your Daddy will be okay, Lucas, and the bad people aren’t coming back.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

The door opened again and Brandon slipped inside, a doctor behind him. Lucas shrank back into Alan’s arms at the entrance of the unknown doctor, who smiled brightly at them.

“Hi Lucas, I’m Doctor Lewis, I’m just going to do a couple of checks and then you can go with your uncles to find your Mum and Dad, sound good?”

Lucas didn’t answer, clinging to Alan’s arm and shying away from Doctor Lewis. 

“It’s okay, Lucas, me and Brandon will be right here with you, but you have to let Doctor Lewis check you out.”

“Then we can find Mommy and Daddy?”

“If Doctor Lewis says yes.”

“And you’ll stay here?”

“Of course.”

“Okay.”

Lucas leaned away from Alan, shuffling forwards, and Doctor Lewis started her tests. It didn’t take long, and soon Lucas was cleared to leave his room, bundled up in the dressing gown and slippers someone- Alan suspected Grandma Tracy- had thought to bring over from the Island when they had received Scott’s frantic call that Gordon had been shot. Slipping his hand into Alan’s, the small group set off down the corridors, Alan and Brandon flanking Lucas on either side as they went looking for their wayward family members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have next week off work (hooray) but I probably won't publish another chapter until the week after that because of Pen and Ink week (and also I need to work some more on the plot of the next bit). If you haven't heard about Pen and Ink week, it's something that Eirabach, Avenged Biologist and myself have cooked up for the first week of November; full details (and prompts list) can be found over on tumblr by searching for Pen and Ink Week 2020. Even if you don't want to create, you are more than welcome to cheerlead :)
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you don't hate me too much after the cliffhanger from the last chapter!


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

The shoulder is a delicate part of the body, a balancing act of nerves, tendons, bones and arteries, all parts of vital supply networks from the torso and brain to the arm and hand. There is a sweet spot where, if shot from the right distance and the right size of bullets, very little damage is inflicted as these supply networks are missed, simply leaving a flesh wound. Gordon was not shot here. There are several, much more serious areas which if subject to a traumatic injury, can lead to long term complications. These areas include damage to one of the main arteries delivering blood from the heart and lungs to the arm, or to the complicated network of nerves that formed the brachial plexus, starting in the spine and continuing down the arm which, if damaged, could lead to paralysis of the arm.

Thankfully, Gordon was not shot here either.

Grove’s bullet had managed to miss the so-called sweet spot, the major arteries and the bundle of nerves, instead hitting bone and shattering Gordon’s humerus and clavicle. Whilst the prognosis was not as destructive or life-limiting as it could have been, it still resulted in an emergency surgery that had taken place whilst Lucas slept and Penelope was checked over for injuries of her own. It had still been going on after Lucas had woken up and forced Alan and Brandon to help him look for his parents, the result being finding only Penelope, still hooked up to monitors as the doctors satisfied themselves that both Penelope and the baby were okay. Whilst Penelope knew that she and the baby were fine, that no damage had really been done to her other than psychological trauma and superficial injuries that barely hurt and would heal soon enough on their own, she nonetheless appreciated the caution that the doctors were showing, letting them complete their tests. It didn’t hurt that it helped keep the police and GDF at bay. 

Penelope heard Lucas before she saw him, could hear him asking for her from all the way down the corridor, and Alan’s desperate attempts at comforting him. She would have stood up and gone to him, but by the time she had worked out where all the machines were attached to her and which ones she could get away with unhooking, there was a knock on the door and Lucas was running in anyway, skidding to a stop next to the bed and looking at her in hesitation. Penelope shifted over to make room for him, lifting up the cover, and Alan stepped forwards to help him onto the bed, Lucas immediately tucking himself into Penelope’s side.

“He really wanted to see you and Gordon,” Alan said apologetically. Penelope shook her head, stroking Lucas’ hair softly.

“That’s okay. I was going to come and find him anyway.”

“Have… have you heard about Gordon yet?”

“Last I heard he was still in surgery. Scott promised to let me know as soon as he was out.”

“Alright then.” Alan sat down heavily in the chair, Brandon making a soft excuse about coffee before leaving, and Penelope looked at Alan in confusion.

“Don’t you want to be with your brothers?”

“You’re family too,” Alan pointed out. “Anyway, Gordon’s been through worse before.”   
  


Penelope smiled. “That, unfortunately, is very true. Thanks for staying, Alan.”

“Don’t worry about it.”   
  


***

Penelope and Lucas were both discharged the next day to the watchful eye of Parker, who had spent the night serving as a de facto bodyguard outside of Penelope’s room, Lucas having made it quite clear that he didn’t want to be in a room of his own. Whilst Penelope and Lucas were discharged relatively quickly, their formal release from hospital was largely irrelevant, as whilst Gordon’s initial surgery and debridement had gone well, he had still been required to stay in hospital for a little while longer so that the doctors could monitor signs of infection and complications, as well as ensure that the sling he was required to wear to keep his shoulder as still as possible for the next three months as the bone began healing was working correctly. Lucas and Penelope spent as much time as they could keeping him company, formal visiting hours quietly dispensed with in order for the three of them to be together. Penelope and Gordon talked or rested, keeping tabs on each other whilst Lucas flitted from one to the other without really settling. Penelope was worried about this inability to settle, coupled with the emotional outbursts from Lucas when they did eventually leave the hospital and the nightmares that kept him from sleeping the whole night through, but there wasn’t much that either Penelope or Gordon could really do, with Gordon still in hospital and Penelope still answering questions from the rotation of police and GDF personnel who carouselled through the hospital door. 

Then, two days before Gordon’s release, Penelope received a phone call. 

Gordon had wordlessly made room for Lucas on his bed, distracting the young boy with plans of a comeback prank for when they could finally return to the Island, but looked up when Penelope slipped back through the door, expression inscrutable.

“Everything okay?” He asked as Penelope settled back down on the chair, slipping her phone back into her pocket. Lucas slid down from the bed, heading back over to his mother immediately and clambering onto her lap.

“They’re releasing my father this afternoon. They wanted to know if I would like to collect him, or if alternative arrangements should be made.”

“Oh. Well, if you want to go I can look after Lucas. I think Scott was planning to stop by later anyway.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind taking him with me if you want to rest.”

“It’s fine, Penny, go spend some time with your dad. Just- please,  _ please _ take Parker with you. Maybe Kayo as well if she’s around.”

“Don’t worry darling, of course Parker will be with me. I’ll have to go straight after lunch though.”

“That’s fine. Hey, Lucas, shall we try out one of the pranks on Uncle Scott this afternoon?”

“On Uncle Scott?”

“Yeah, we can think of one this morning.”

“But isn’t he a scaredy cat?” 

“A what?” Penelope asked, frowning in confusion.

“Daddy said Uncle Scott was a scaredy cat and I had to look after him.”

“Oh I see. Well I don’t think you need to worry too much about a prank with Uncle Scott.”

“Yeah I used to do it all the time-“

“Yes, Gordon, I don’t think we need too much encouragement.” The twin looks of indignation on both Gordon’s and Lucas’ faces at her tone was enough for Penelope to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

***

There was less laughter when Penelope left. Despite Gordon’s best attempts at distraction, Lucas was not happy that Penelope had gone, and constrained as he was with one arm strapped to his chest and out of commission, Gordon was having a hard time keeping Lucas from running off after his mother, face red and tears streaming as he screamed.

“Lucas- c’mon, buddy, please, Mommy’s going to come back soon-“

“Mommy!”

“Lucas-“

“Hey- what’s going on here? Lucas?” Scott stepped into the room, his original greeting dying on his lips. He was ignored.

“I want to stay with Mommy!”

“I know, but she’s coming back.”

“Gordon?”

“Hey Scott,” Gordon said, finally acknowledging his brother. “How’re-  _ ow! _ ” His jaw clenched shut, face paling as one of Lucas’ flailing limbs caught his injured arm, and Scott hurried forward to scoop Lucas up.

“Gordon? You okay?” There was silence as Gordon nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. Lucas had been startled into quiet by the sudden change of adult holding him, and he scrubbed away the last of his tears, breath still hitching occasionally.

“Daddy?” He asked finally, voice quiet and trembling.

“Yes?” Gordon asked tightly, still trying to get a handle on the pain that was finally starting to recede into a dull ache without swearing in front of Lucas.

“Did you hurt your arm again?”

“Um… yes, it’s hurting a bit, but don’t worry.”

Lucas wriggled out of Scott’s arms, climbing back onto the bed and peering at the sling before pressing a quick, clumsy kiss to it.

“Better?” He asked, and Gordon ruffled his hair with his good arm and pulled him in.

“Of course.”

“Do you need me to get someone?” Scott asked, still on his feet. 

“No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Scott,” Gordon replied with a roll of his eyes. “Could you pass that book over though? For Lucas?”

Scott did so, picking up the picture book off the low table by the visitor’s chair, and as soon as he was close enough to hand it to Lucas, Gordon’s good hand dove under the covers, whipping out a water pistol and squirting Scott straight in the face. Scott spluttered, but didn’t voice his question as to where the water pistol had come from, the quiet giggles from Lucas enough to dispel any lingering exasperation.

***

“Hello Dad,” Penelope said quietly, knocking on the open door. Lord Hugh looked up from where he was sitting, already dressed in his own clothes and ready to go, closing down the newspaper he had open on his tablet when he saw who it was.

“Penelope! I was expecting Branson.”

“We were in the neighbourhood so I had Parker bring me,” Penelope said, sweeping forward and bending to kiss her father’s cheek in greeting. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m fine, no need to worry about me. How are you? Are Gordon and Lucas with you?”

“No, just me and Parker.”

“Penelope, I saw the news. Are you all okay?”

“We’re quite alright, Dad, don’t worry. Gordon is still recovering, but he’ll be okay. He can’t… move his arm, at the moment, but the doctors are confident that with time and physiotherapy he’ll regain his motion.”

“And Lucas?”

“Physically fine. He doesn’t like it when we aren’t both with him though. He doesn’t sleep alone, and often has nightmares.”

“I see. Well then, we better get going so that you can return to him. I’d hate to keep you from him if he’s struggling without you.”

“He’s with Gordon and Scott, he should be fine, but we can certainly leave if you don’t want to stay. Have the discharge papers been signed?”

“All completed, I’m ready when you are.”

“Then let us go.” Penelope offered her arm, trying to help her father up, but Lord Hugh flapped her away, insisting that he could do it himself. The two of them were as stubborn as each other, batting at each other and squabbling their way down the corridor and out of the hospital into the brilliant, late November sunshine where Parker appeared out of nowhere, springing forward to open the door and usher the two of them into FAB 1.

  
  


***

It was three days after Lord Hugh was released from hospital that Gordon, Penelope and Lucas were finally able to head back home, having spent an extra night in England after Gordon had been discharged from hospital. It was a cramped ride in FAB1, Lucas squashed in between his parents after refusing to allow one of them to ride in the front with Parker as they flew back to the Island, but the elation of finally being able to leave England and head back to the security of seclusion prevented any of the adults from resisting Lucas’ request, and he finally fell asleep as the car flew towards the Pacific. His head rested against Penelope, her arm curled around his shoulder, but his hand was tangled in Gordon’s sleeve, reassuring himself that both of his parents were finally,  _ finally  _ together again. 

“I’m worried about him,” Penelope murmured softly once it became clear that Lucas wasn’t going to wake up soon. 

“I know,” Gordon replied, just as softly. “I am too, but we don’t know, being back on the Island might help.”

“I just… he was so scared, Gordon, we both were. I never,  _ ever _ wanted anything like this to have happened to him.”

“Pen-“

“I should have protected him better, Gordon. We shouldn’t have gone, we should never have left the Island.”

“Penny. We didn’t  _ know _ that something like this was going to happen. Your father was sick, we had to go visit him. We weren’t to know he had been poisoned, that this whole thing was a set up, and you did protect him.”

“I was so scared, Gordon.”

“I know love. I was too.”

Penelope leant over, leaning her head on Gordon’s shoulder as tears of stress and relief finally fell, Gordon soothing her as best he could, his good arm stroking her hair whilst he murmured platitudes in her ear. He caught Parker’s eye once, briefly, when Parker glanced into the mirror to check on those occupying the back seat, but for the most part the three of them had privacy whilst Lucas slept, Penelope fell apart and Gordon tried to hold all the strands of his family together.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

The next few weeks were slow and heavy on the Island, an almost unbearable tension and sadness settling over the entire villa as Gordon, Penelope and Lucas tried to settle back in again. The GDF rescinded their advice for International Rescue to remain grounded, confident that even though the Hood was still missing, they would be able to hold their own. John returned to Thunderbird Five and Virgil was back from Brooklyn, accompanied by Dave, and rescues resumed. Gordon ignored any residual longing he felt each and every time Thunderbird Four was taken out without him. Even if Scott could be reckless from time to time, ultimately Gordon knew that Scott would take as much cares as possible when going on those missions and anyway, Gordon could hardly talk, given the number of times he had returned to base with scratches scored into the side of Thunderbird Four, no matter how much he loved her and tried to be careful.A s far as Gordon was concerned, their machines were created to be used, even if that meant the odd assault to the paintwork. Brains disagreed.

Even if Gordon’s arm wasn’t restricted in movement by the gunshot, he would have avoided as many rescues as possible. The injury gave him a convenient excuse, something that meant he didn’t even need to think about approaching Scott and his father to request some time off, at least until after the baby was born.A s soon as they had arrived at the Island and the stress and terror of what had happened could be fully processed, Penelope had gone to their room and not emerged for two days, content enough to know that she could do so without having to worry about protecting Lucas, that he was surrounded by his family members and people who had been taking care of him since before he had been born. Gordon had held her for much of that time, letting her sob into his good shoulder as and when needed. These times were often saved for the evening, after Lucas had curled up asleep beside them, still not yet comfortable to spend the night in his own room. Neither Penelope nor Gordon questioned it, or tried to rush him back to his own bed, well aware of the nightmares that plagued all three of them and made having a full night’s sleep impossible.

However, as the month progressed, things did gradually drift back to a greater sense of normality, particularly during the daytime. Gradually Lucas became more confident again, content to allow his parents to be out of his eyeline and spending time with the other members of the Island, not that it happened often, only if Gordon was doing physiotherapy and Penelope needed a rest. The volcano he had been making with Gordon and Virgil was brought out and completed, Virgil helping to fill the centre with baking powder and red paint and the entire Island gathering to watch the final step of vinegar being added, even John beaming in and having Eos filmed as the chemical reaction speed red foam ‘lava’ all down the side and across the decking. Lucas had been beside himself with excitement, and that night had agreed to start the night off in his own room for the first time since their return. Even if Penelope and Gordon had woken up later in the night to find Lucas crawling in between them. It was still progress and the concern the two of them had been sharing just the day before began to ease.

***

Soon enough, it was Penelope’s birthday and Christmas and all the celebration that came with it. When Penelope opened her eyes on December twenty-fourth, it was to just Gorodn, who was already awake and smiling at her from his pillow.

“DId Lucas go back to his bed?” she asked, once she was aware enough to take stock of her surroundings.

“He’s gone to make you breakfast.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. Don’t worry, Scott’s with him he won’t set fire to anything.”

“Gordon, I love you and your family, but I have known you for a long time now and not one of you have proved yourselves to be particularly competent in the culinary arts.”

“Hey, we survived. Grandma I’ll give you, but Scott can at least make pancakes.”

“Shouldn’t it be you who’s making me breakfast?”

“Well, I did offer, but Lucas was very clear about who he wanted to help him and who he wanted to keep you distracted. Anyway, Scott didn’t mind, he thought we might enjoy the alone time.”

“How thoughtful.”  
  


“I’m not going to complain.”

“Does this mean I can have a birthday kiss then?”

“Of course.” Gordon leant over, brushing his lips over Penelope’s. Penelope pulled him closer, deepening the kiss for a moment, before breaking it off gently.

“How long do you think we have until breakfast?”

“Oh, at least an hour. Lucas forgot to ask for the ingredients and Virgil’s had to make an emergency supply run. Scott and Lucas thought it would be best to wait it out with a movie, but you’re not supposed to know any of this, of course.”  
  


“Of course. Well then. Care to join me for a bath?”

“ _Yes_.”

***

The day after Christmas, Penelope, Lucas and Gordon headed back to ENgland to stay in the Creighton-Ward Manor. As reluctant as Penelope and Gordon had been to leave the safety that an isolated island provided, Penelope had wanted to see her father and the Island was not the best place to have a baby. THere was a small entourage that went with them, Jeff and Grandma Tracy accompanying to help look after Lucas and Parker and Kayo serving as security, but it was enough to give them peace of mind Penelope’s father joined them to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Halfway through the evening, Parker found an old box of fireworks in a shed on the grounds and nearly set fire to a tree, much to the delighted shrieks of Lucas, whilst Lord Hugh introduced them to the tradition of first footing, the men in the house leaving out the kitchen door just before midnight clutching their bag of coal, salt, bread and silver, all bundled up in hats and scarfs to ward off the English winter chill. Midnight struck, they were invited inside, kisses were exchanged and Lucas was eventually carried to bed by Parker, having fallen asleep on the sofa next to Penelope, his silver paper crown slipping down his forehead. Penelope followed behind, folding the crown carefully and setting it on the table beside his bed.

Three days later Jeff and Kayo took Lucas on a special trip to the aquarium. Lucas was beside himself with excitement, running from tank to tank as he told Kayo and Jeff as many facts about fish that he could remember, trailing fingers along the glass and pressing his nose close.

“You know,” said Jeff, eyes twinkling as Lucas sat at a lunch table whilst Kayo went off to grab them some food, “you’re just like your daddy when he was your age.”

“Daddy says that he saw the fish in the ocean.”

“Oh, I know. We used to call him a fish when he was a kid.”

“Why?”

“Because he was always swimming, and he was very good at it.”

“He’s the best. He showed me his medal.”

“Yes, he’s very fast your daddy.”  
  


“He’s the fastest, but he’s showing me how to be even faster so then you’ll have to call me fish instead.”

“Oh, I’m sure we can think of a name especially for you.”

“Grandpa?”

“Yes, Lucas?”

“Why did Mommy and Daddy stay behind at the house? Daddy loves seeing fishes.”

“Because the baby is coming, but it’s really boring waiting and sometimes it can take a long time, so they thought you would like to come here instead.”  
  


“Oh.”  
  


“Hope you’re hungry,” announced Kayo, returning with a tray held high and filled with sandwiches. Lucas leant forwards at the prospect of food, finally falling quiet whilst Jeff helped him poke his straw into the juice box without spilling it everywhere.

“Auntie Kayo,” he said eventually, the last bite of his sandwich forgotten. “Do you know about sea otters?”

“I’ll go get us some coffee,” Jeff promised, getting up just as Lucas launched into reciting his facts about mammal.

***

It was late afternoon by the time Gordon rang Jeff, a short phone call that had Jeff’s eyes crinkling at the edges from his smile. He managed to corral Kayo and Lucas out of the gift shop and into the hire car, Lucas clutching the plush toy fish he had insisted on getting for his new sibling. There hadn’t been much resistance from Jeff, who had instead swung Lucas up onto his shoulders and paid without question, intent on getting back to the Creighton-Ward Manor as soon as possible. Even then, and even with Kayo driving, it was still inching towards later in the evening by the time they got back, Lucas struggling to keep his eyes open.

Gordon was waiting for them on the stone steps, looking tired yet happy, springing forwards as Kayo brought the car to a halt on the gravel and meeting Lucas as he stumbled out of the car.

“Hey kiddo, did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” Lucas mumbled sleepily, the fish still tucked under his arm. “Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s inside. Do you want to see her?”

Lucas nodded, slipping his hand into Gordon’s and letting his father tug him into the house and along the corridors until they reached Penelope and Gordon’s bedroom, the door still closed, and Gordon paused, crouching down until he was the same height as Lucas.

“Alright Lucas, we’re about to see Mommy but there’s someone else that we want you to meet as well.”

“The baby?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But the thing with babies is that they’re really small, and Mommy is really tired, so we need to be quiet and careful so that we don’t scare the baby, okay?”

“Yes Daddy.”

“Good.” Gordon stood up again and opened the door, Lucas creeping in carefully and quietly just like Gordon has said until he was peering over the top of the bed at Penelope, Gordon coming over quickly and helping him onto the bed so that he could see the bundle of white blankets tucked into Penelope’s arms.

“Lucas, this is your little sister,” she said, lowering her arms slightly to show him the small baby nestled inside. Lucas reached out, fingers hovering in hesitation, before stroking the small tuft of blonde hair that was already poking through with the utmost care at Penelope’s encouraging smile.

“What’s her name?” He asked, looking back up at his mother.

“Freya,” Gordon replied, settling on the bed next to Penelope and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Freya Louise.”

“Hello Freya,” Lucas greeted, attention already back on his sister. He bent down to press a shaky kiss to the baby’s forehead and Gordon smiled, recognising the same look of love he had felt when first introduced to Alan. He heard Penelope sniffle and he pulled her closer, tucking her under his chin, finally feeling at peace. There was still some way to go before the family would be fully healed, but right then and there, Gordon hadn’t felt happier, and the future would be faced together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the final chapter! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the story ☺️ Thanks also for all the kudos and comments, they mean the world.

**Author's Note:**

> This was not originally going to be written. Then I started talking to Willow-Salix on tumblr, and before I knew it a whole story was planned out.
> 
> Thanks to Willow and Eirabach for helping me out :)


End file.
